Miriam Frankl (October 17, 2009) |
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Baltimore police arrested a Sykesville man Saturday in the hit-and-run death of a Johns Hopkins University student eight days ago.
Thomas Meighan, 39, of Sykesville was picked up between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., said Detective Nicole Monroe, a police spokeswoman.
The charges were not released.
After police sought the owner of a pickup truck involved in the accident, Meighan turned himself in on Tuesday and was released as detectives continued to investigate the death of Miriam Frankl, 20, who was hit Oct. 16 in the 3500 block of St. Paul St. at University Parkway.
Frankl, a junior from the Chicago area, suffered severe head injuries in the accident and died Oct. 17 with her parents and fellow students by her bedside at Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
Court documents show that Meighan has a history of drunken-driving arrests, including in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2005. He is awaiting a December trial in Baltimore on charges of leaving the scene of an accident, attempting to drive while under the influence and operating an unregistered vehicle.
According to a letter he wrote to a judge in 1995, he was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings regularly in 1994.
He was charged with driving or attempting to drive while intoxicated or being under the influence of alcohol five times over seven months in 1996.
In the 2000 case, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in jail, with a judge suspending 18 months of the sentence. In November 2002, he "walked away" from a low-security detention facility in Frederick after refusing to take a urine test, according to a police charging document, and was charged with first-degree escape.
Meighan was awaiting trial in Baltimore City Circuit Court in connection with a July 31, 2009, accident at Milford and Gwynn Oak avenues, according to electronic court records. A Dec. 11 trial date was set on 15 charges relating to the incident, including driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to return to the scene of an accident involving bodily injury.
At the time of Frankl's death, Meighan was free on $100,000 bond in connection with the July 31 accident.
The white Ford F-250 was found in the city's Ashburton neighborhood about midnight Oct. 17 after residents recognized the truck from news accounts.
The vehicle had a Tate Engineering decal affixed to it, according to police, but the truck did not belong to the firm. Tate Engineering said the vehicle had been sold three times since late 2008 and that the owner is not a current or former employee of the company.
Thomas Meighan, 39, of Sykesville was picked up between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., said Detective Nicole Monroe, a police spokeswoman.
The charges were not released.
After police sought the owner of a pickup truck involved in the accident, Meighan turned himself in on Tuesday and was released as detectives continued to investigate the death of Miriam Frankl, 20, who was hit Oct. 16 in the 3500 block of St. Paul St. at University Parkway.
Frankl, a junior from the Chicago area, suffered severe head injuries in the accident and died Oct. 17 with her parents and fellow students by her bedside at Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
Court documents show that Meighan has a history of drunken-driving arrests, including in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2005. He is awaiting a December trial in Baltimore on charges of leaving the scene of an accident, attempting to drive while under the influence and operating an unregistered vehicle.
According to a letter he wrote to a judge in 1995, he was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings regularly in 1994.
He was charged with driving or attempting to drive while intoxicated or being under the influence of alcohol five times over seven months in 1996.
In the 2000 case, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in jail, with a judge suspending 18 months of the sentence. In November 2002, he "walked away" from a low-security detention facility in Frederick after refusing to take a urine test, according to a police charging document, and was charged with first-degree escape.
Meighan was awaiting trial in Baltimore City Circuit Court in connection with a July 31, 2009, accident at Milford and Gwynn Oak avenues, according to electronic court records. A Dec. 11 trial date was set on 15 charges relating to the incident, including driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to return to the scene of an accident involving bodily injury.
At the time of Frankl's death, Meighan was free on $100,000 bond in connection with the July 31 accident.
The white Ford F-250 was found in the city's Ashburton neighborhood about midnight Oct. 17 after residents recognized the truck from news accounts.
The vehicle had a Tate Engineering decal affixed to it, according to police, but the truck did not belong to the firm. Tate Engineering said the vehicle had been sold three times since late 2008 and that the owner is not a current or former employee of the company.
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This man is OBVIOUSLY a white trash drug addict and alcoholic. His truck was seen parked in various areas including those involved in high drug activity, so there's no doubt he was drinking and using drugs on a several-day binge. He has failed at recovery NUMEROUS times, starting at least in 1994, when he was "attending" AA meetings, according to a court document. He NEVER should have EVER been allowed to drive again, after the string of original DUIs and accidents starting in 1994. How much more obvious could all this be? Our court system and MVA have failed here, too. Now, a totally innocent person - a guest of our city - has been MURDERED, after years of Mr. Meighan getting away with what nearly amounted to murder, countless times, due to all the negligence and gross misconduct involved. I think he should be taken out back and shot. Life in prison is too good for him, as is the death penalty. Bastard.
mirandasdad (10/27/2009, 11:58 AM )