Missouri woman indicted for multi-state crime spree

A Missouri woman has been indicted by a grand jury on charges related to a multi-state crime spree that lasted for days. She was with her boyfriend during that time but he was killed by the police.

In a report by WAAY 31, the woman, identified as 30-year-old Brittany Nicole Harper of Joplin, Missouri, was charged with conspiracy to transport a stolen vehicle across state lines, two counts of transporting a vehicle across state lines, three counts of carjacking, and two counts of brandishing a gun during a crime of violence. She and her boyfriend, Blake Fitzgerald, went on a 10-day crime spree across four states but most of the crimes were made in Alabama.

Authorities said  after they stole from a Wal-Mart in Bessemer, Alabama, Harper and Fitzgerald forced a Tuscaloosa motel clerk into his car then drove him to Hoover. They went on to steal a car from a McDonald's employee afterwards but failed. Following that attempt, they went to Vestavia Hills where Fitzgerald kidnapped a woman from her home and got away with her vehicle. The woman was released in Birmingham, WIAT.com reported. They also took a Cadillac for a test drive at a car dealership in Webb City, Missouri last January and never returned.

Harper and Fitzgerald travelled to Georgia and Florida where more crimes were committed. Before the high speed chase, the couple took a family in Pensacola as hostage before using the family's pick-up truck to flee. They were caught in Milton, Florida on February 5 wherein Fitzgerald used Harper as a shield in the shootout with the authorities. Harper was wounded and Fitzgerald was killed, ABC News reported.

Harper faces charges in Escambia and Pensacola County in Florida regarding robbery, kidnapping, false imprisonment, vehicle theft, and home invasion. She is being held in Alabama on a $1,160,000 bond.

It is unclear if she is being represented by an attorney. There are no other details yet regarding her court appearance. 

Tags

Brittany Nicole Harper, Missouri woman, multi-state crime spree, alabama, stolen vehicle, boyfriend, Blake Fitzgerald, 10-day crime spree

© 2023 Lawyer Herald All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.