An Arkansas man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after breaking into a wheelchair-bound veteran’s home and kidnapping him at gunpoint last year.
Terrell Harrell, 25, of Luxora was convicted Friday by a jury in Mississippi County on charges of aggravated robbery and kidnapping, said Scott Ellington, prosecuting attorney for the state’s 2nd Judicial District, in a news release.
“It is our job to protect the weak and disabled from those predators who prey on them,” Ellington said. “This case is more egregious because they know Mr. Birmingham was a disabled veteran.”
Harrell broke into 68-year-old Robert Birmingham's home March 2, 2015, as the Luxora resident was asleep — binding, gagging, blindfolding and stabbing Birmingham as he attempted to open a safe, the release states.
When the efforts were unsuccessful, Harrell and another person with him dragged Birmingham outside the home and stuffed him into the back seat of a truck.
The two held the Vietnam War veteran captive as they drove for hours through Luxora, Marion and on parts of Interstate 40, Ellington said.
Multiple agencies, including the Luxora Police Department, Mississippi County sheriff's office, Little Rock Police Department and Arkansas State Police, assisted in locating Birmingham, who was treated and released from the VA.
Harrell was also convicted of second-degree battery, theft of a firearm and fraudulent use of a credit card.
