John Robert Righter, a Columbia man who kidnapped a former co-worker at gunpoint and kept her handcuffed in his car until they were discovered in Ohio 19 hours later, failed yesterday in his bid to cut his 30-year prison sentence by a third.

Howard Circuit Judge Dennis M. Sweeney denied a motion by Righter's lawyer to reduce the sentence he imposed in the case three years ago, saying it was the "correct punishment" for a crime he called "terrifying."

Righter, 27, was convicted of kidnapping, assault and false imprisonment in the abduction of Stephanie Musick from the front of her River Hill home in September 1997.

"One of the things the court goes back to ... is the nature of the original offense," Sweeney said. "That still is a chilling matter for anyone who knows the details."

Righter's lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Louis P. Willemin, had argued that his client was progressing well in the Patuxent Institution in Jessup, a facility that provides psychological help in addition to incarceration, but that he likely would finish the program before he is eligible for parole. A shorter sentence would give Patuxent the flexibility to move him through the last stages of the program, which gradually reintroduces inmates to society through supervised visits, work release and housing at a halfway house, Willemin said.

But Senior Assistant State's Attorney Michael Rexroad said that giving Righter an earlier chance for parole - he must serve half his sentence, or 15 years, before he is eligible - might encourage him to opt out of Patuxent before he completes the lengthy program.

Musick, now 26, told Sweeney yesterday that a reduced sentence for Righter would be the same thing as "an increased sentence for me."

Musick and Righter met at the Sears in Columbia where they worked. But in 1997, Righter began stalking her - following her and sending her unwanted e-mails, according to court papers. On Sept. 5, 1997, he followed her home from Western Maryland College and she called police, according to testimony at Righter's trial.

Two weeks later, on Sept. 19, he abducted her at gunpoint as she walked to her car in front of her Columbia home - also pointing the gun, a 9 mm Glock, at a neighbor who tried to help, according to court documents.

Righter, who, according to testimony at his sentencing, is intelligent but socially isolated and lacking basic social skills, handcuffed Musick to a seatbelt in his car and drove away.

Investigators found the two in Edgewood, Ohio, using information Musick managed to pass on to her mother through "yes" and "no" answers during a phone call and by tracking his attempts to withdraw money from an automated teller machine.

A police officer in Edgewood found Righter sleeping and Musick cuffed to a seatbelt 19 hours after the abduction in a store parking lot, according to testimony and court documents.

Yesterday, Musick told Sweeney that the kidnapping took away her sense of security.

"I have been imprisoned by fear," she said through tears. " ... I can no longer leave my home without fear of being harmed."