A Minneapolis man received a term of 6 2⁄3 years in prison Thursday for the armed carjacking of a preacher who was handing out water to homeless people on Lake Street during the depths of the pandemic.
The sentencing of Dwight K. Eaglehawk, 34, in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis comes after he pleaded guilty to carjacking in the theft of the car on Aug. 1, 2021, from the preacher who was in a parking lot near the former Kmart on Lake Street as he carried out his charitable deed.
The plea agreement noted that federal sentencing guidelines call for Eaglehawk to receive a sentence ranging from 7 2⁄3 to nearly 10 1⁄2 years.
However, federal judges have full discretion when sentencing defendants and are not bound by the guidelines. Subsequently, Judge Ann Montgomery came in below the guidelines — and below what the defense argued for — and added three years of court supervision of Eaglehawk upon his release from prison.
Ahead of sentencing, the prosecution wrote in a court filing that Eaglehawk should receive the guideline minimum of 7 2⁄3 years in prison, noting that while "in a methamphetamine induced state, [he] used the sawed-off rifle to carjack an individual. ... Eaglehawk used the victim's kindness against him by feigning interest in the offered water and then executing his crime."
Defense attorney Lisa Lopez asked the judge to impose a sentence of 7 1⁄2 years, pointing out to the court in writing that her client has "done a significant amount of programming" for his psychological and behavioral challenges that he started even before pleading guilty in July.
On Aug. 1, 2021, Eaglehawk approached the preacher and asked for two bottles of water, according to court records. Eaglehawk then brandished the firearm, demanded his victim's car and drove off.
Court records show that Eaglehawk's criminal history in Minnesota also includes three felony drug convictions and two for fleeing police.
