By Guy Leonard, County Times
LEONARDTOWN, Md. (July 30, 2008)—Carrington Raphael Carter, 35, will spend the next 14 years in prison for assaulting and stalking his estranged girlfriend in a domestic violence case where Carter repeatedly ignored warnings to stay away from the victim.
Circuit Court Judge C. Clarke Raley sentenced Carter to eight years in prison July 18 while Judge Michael J. Stamm had sentenced the defendant to six years the prior week for a separate conviction in the same case.
Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel White argued for the stiffest sentence possible under the guidelines — 18 to 25 years — for attempting to break into Alice Wolinski’s trailer Aug. 14 of last year and other charges.
“This happened in Alice Wolinski’s home; it was a rundown trailer but it was her home,” White said. “He went in her home and attacked her there.
Carter was charged with beating the victim June 13 of last year in her trailer and was again charged with attempting to break into her trailer for the Aug. 14 incident.
In that case, police said that after trying to break in through the door was unsuccessful, Carter pushed the air conditioning unit back through the window of Wolinski’s trailer to gain entry.
Wolinski tried unsuccessfully to stop Carter and suffered cuts to her face and arms from shattered glass.
Between the two incidents, Carter was also charged with harassing and stalking the victim via repeated cell phone calls.
Carter’s defense attorney Sean Moran said while the case was serious, Wolinski would often get back together with Carter after incidents had subsided, where they would both engage in abusing alcohol and drugs.
Carter also had seven charges of drunken driving on his record.
“It’s a series of minor events that give a major record,” Moran said of his client before the domestic violence case.
Judge Raley said that Carter, who held a steady job and paid child support for four children from other relationships, was different from many defendants convicted of violent crime but his crimes were serious nonetheless.
“What we have here is an egregious rejection of the tools designed to prevent domestic violence,” Judge Raley said. “And the jury took a very dim view of the actions of Mr. Carter.”
Carter showed some remorse for his crimes.
“I do have a problem with alcohol and drugs,” he said. “This is not what I set out to do, to commit this crime.”
Judge Raley said Carrington’s case was “an extremely serious one” but the facts of the case did not merit the stiff penalty the defendant could have received.
“If I follow the guidelines, he’s done, there’s no hope,” Judge Raley said.
To Carter he said, “You have 14 years to go. It’s enough under the facts of the case.”