North Carolina Escapee Will Be Extradited

A 39-year-old Carson man who walked away from North Carolina’s Craggy Prison 14 years ago while serving a 10-year sentence for stealing $300 worth of beer and cigarettes from a grocery store was ordered returned to North Carolina on Tuesday by a Los Angeles Municipal Court judge.

The extradition of Ray Brown, a self-employed auto mechanic, was authorized by Judge Jon M. Mayeda after a writ of habeas corpus to allow him to remain free was rejected by the California Supreme Court.

The decision is the latest chapter in an unusual case involving agreements and misunderstandings between two states over Brown’s fate.

Will Seek Clemency

After the brief court hearing, Brown’s lawyer, Susan Guberman-Garcia, said her client will seek clemency from North Carolina Gov. Jim Martin upon his return to Raleigh within the next few days.

“The position of the government of North Carolina is that it won’t consider any request for discretionary relief until the prisoner is back in the state,” she said. “I prefer to be an optimist and hope the governor’s office and parole officials will look at what Ray Brown is now, not 15 years ago.”

Brown, who had been residing in Carson, faces a maximum prison term of five years for his escape, in addition to the remaining 8 1/2 years on his original sentence. But Guberman-Garcia is hoping Martin will pardon Brown or commute his sentence so he is eligible for parole immediately.

Brown was arrested last month despite an informal 1981 understanding made by former Govs. Edmund G. Brown Jr. and James B. Hunt under which Ray Brown would not be extradited if he stayed out of trouble in California.

Charged With Rape

In March, 1983, Brown was arrested and charged with rape and then-Los Angeles Dist. Atty. Robert H. Philibosian wrote to North Carolina authorities about the case.

Brown was acquitted by a Los Angeles jury three months later and Philobosian did not inform North Carolina officials about the acquittal, Guberman-Garcia said.

Hunt subsequently renewed his state’s extradition request and Gov. George Deukmejian signed an extradition warrant in August, 1984.

Brown has been jailed since the warrant was finally served on him at his home in mid-June.

His wife of two years, Angela Brown, said Tuesday she was “very disappointed” that the case could not be settled in California and added that she will follow her husband to North Carolina to assist in preparing for his clemency bid.

Tells of Support

“We want to do the best we can,” she said. “He has proven in the last 15 years that he has been a good citizen and held down jobs. His friends and fellow workers are very upset.”

Joe Harris, a spokesman for Martin, said the governor will take no action until Brown is back in North Carolina and files proper legal papers seeking a pardon or a commuted sentence. Martin, he added, has as yet given no hint about his intentions.

After Brown’s arrest, Guberman-Garcia first filed a request for a writ of habeas corpus with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Devich. In issuing his denial, Devich wrote that he had no choice in the matter since North Carolina’s extradition request had been properly filed. But Devich suggested that Brown, who “would seem to have some equities in his favor,” should instead direct any requests to officials in North Carolina.