June 13, 1997|By Scott Higham | Scott Higham,SUN STAFF
In a move to crack down on carjackings, U.S. prosecutors yesterday charged a Baltimore man accused in a series of brazen heists in downtown Baltimore with violating a federal law that carries a 25-year prison sentence without parole.
Harold Wright, 32, of the 1700 block of N. Broadway was indicted by grand jurors in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on two counts of carjacking and one count of attempted carjacking, accused of threatening three women on Charles Street in April with a knife and demanding that they give him their cars.
Wright is alleged to have stabbed one of the women before taking her car.
"These crimes were particularly violent, and they warrant federal prosecution," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. DiBiagio.
Wright was arrested last month and charged in Baltimore Circuit Court, where, if convicted, he could have been sentenced to 30 years behind bars. But in the state system, inmates are eligible for parole, and they serve about half of their sentences.
Prosecutors decided to take his case to federal court, where parole has been abolished. If Wright is found guilty, he could receive a 25-year prison term for each of the carjacking counts without the possibility of parole.
Federal prosecutors are proceeding under a creative legal theory. Most cars are considered "interstate commerce" because they are shipped across state lines before they are sold. When they are stolen, the thieves can be charged with a federal crime.
In the Wright case, all three cars -- a Toyota, a Volvo and a Plymouth -- were manufactured outside Maryland and shipped into the state.
Since 1982, Wright has been in and out of prison for crimes ranging from drug possession and theft to robbery and kidnapping, court records show. In April, prosecutors say he was responsible for a wave of violent daylight carjackings along Charles Street -- all within a week.
On April 24, Wright is alleged to have approached Linda McLeary as she was parking her Volvo 940 station wagon at North Charles and Eager streets. He allegedly stepped behind her, threatened her with a knife and drove off in the Volvo, court records show.
On April 28, Wright is alleged to have tried to steal a Toyota Camry from Barbra Colquitt at Charles and Madison streets, again approaching from behind with a knife. She escaped, and her car was not stolen, records show.
The next day, prosecutors say, Wright struck again. This time, he allegedly approached Irina Elkin in the 1200 block of N. Charles, demanding the keys to her Plymouth Colt station wagon. When Elkin screamed, Wright is alleged to have stabbed her in the hand and the leg before taking her car, court records show.
After Wright's photograph was televised May 3, an informant called police to say they could find the suspect at East Lanvale and North Regester streets. He was arrested that night and has been behind bars since.
