September 25th, 2015 by WCBC Radio
The Office of the State’s Attorney for Allegany County, the Honorable Michael O. Twigg, State’s Attorney, announced on Friday, September 25, 2015, that John Phillip Blank, Jr, 18 of Cumberland, was convicted in Allegany County Circuit Court of one count of Attempted Carjacking. In the late evening hours of May 18, 2015, the victim was driving on Queen City Drive in Cumberland. At a stop sign, the victim was approached by Blank, who had covered his face with a bandana. Blank attempted to enter the victim’s vehicle and threatened the man, who quickly drove from the scene and immediately reported the incident to the Cumberland City Police Department. An officer responded to the scene in an unmarked police vehicle and was also approached by Blank in the same threatening manner. Once the officer lowered his window, Blank was able to see it was a police officer and attempted to flee the scene. Blank was quickly apprehended. The Honorable W. Timothy Finan, Circuit Court Judge for Allegany County, sentenced Blank to 10 years in the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, suspending seven years of the sentence. Upon his release, he will be on supervised probation for five years. According to Assistant State’s Attorney Erich Bean, who prosecuted the case, “Luckily no one was injured and young Mr. Blank was unable to complete the act of taking the car. Now he has to go to prison. This type of behavior in our community will not be tolerated.” The case was investigated by the Cumberland City Police Department. Blank was represented by attorney Michael Stankan, of the Public Defender’s Office.
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