ARMED CAR-JACKER INDICTED

BIRMINGHAM, AL - REGINALD DARNELL HARRELL, 20, of Bessemer, Alabama, has been indicted in U.S. District Court, and charged with car-jacking a 2003 Honda Accord and for using a firearm in furtherance of that crime.

"Carjackers in the Northern District of Alabama will face prosecution and tough federal penalties," states U.S. Attorney Alice H. Martin.

It is alleged that HARRELL took a 2003 Honda Accord from an individual in the downtown Bessemer area using a firearm on November 1, 2005. Police arrested HARRELL on November 9, 2005, and he remains in police custody.

Under federal law, the penalty for car-jacking is not more than 25 years in prison. The penalty for using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence is a statutory consecutive sentence of 7 years in prison. Federal law also includes a fine of not more than $250,000 on each charge.

"The FBI is committed to protecting the public from those who commit such violent offenses," stated Carmen S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Birmingham Field Division.

Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement conducted the investigation of this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys William G. Simpson and Scarlett M. Singleton are prosecuting the matter on behalf of the U.S. Government.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.