Thomas Meighan

Thomas Meighan (July 31, 2009)

By Tricia Bishop | tricia.bishop@baltsun.com

November 3, 2009
A judge revoked Thomas Meighan Jr.'s $100,000 bail - associated with July hit-and-run charges - on Monday, saying the 39-year-old, who has at least nine drunken driving convictions and is linked to a college student's death, is a "serious danger" to himself and the community.

"Even after these charges and even after having his license suspended by the [Motor Vehicle Administration], he continued to drive," said Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Lawrence P. Fletcher Hill.

Prosecutor Tyler Mann said Meighan walked away from the scene of a Baltimore accident in July, and was later arrested and charged with multiple infractions, including driving while intoxicated.

Meighan's license was suspended in September, according to MVA records, while he was out on bail. Yet a month later, he incurred 18 new charges, connected to an Oct. 16 hit-and-run on Belair Road and the death of Miriam Frankl. The 20-year-old Johns Hopkins University student was run down that day on St. Paul Street by a white truck, which then fled, police said.

Meighan is being held without bail in that case, which prosecutors whittled to eight jailable offenses last week. The remaining allegations include leaving the scene of an accident involving death and driving on a suspended license.

He shows "blatant disregard for the laws of Maryland, he shows a disregard for the safety and well-being of" the community, Mann said. "He's a danger to citizens of Baltimore."

Meighan, an admitted alcoholic and heroin user according to court records, has not been charged with Frankl's death, nor has he been charged with driving under the influence in that case. According to documents, witnesses say he was at the wheel when a car was struck on Belair Road and at various other points in the city, but no one has yet placed him as the driver in Frankl's death. He has told police he lent his truck to a friend for the day.

Meighan's attorney in the July case, Joseph Tivvis, declined to comment Monday. Meighan's public defender in the new case could not be reached for comment.