Man pleads guilty to strangling woman, robbing two Wilmington businesses

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man pleaded guilty to two armed robberies that happened over the summer in Wilmington.

According to a news release, Donald Ray Harrison, 53, will serve between 8.5 and 11 years in prison for robbing The Carolinian Inn and the Wildcat Family Fare Convenience Store on Market Street.

Harrison also pleaded guilty to strangling a woman at a home on North 11th Street
that same month.

On August 25, Harrison, a former employee of The Carolinian Inn, entered the motel
around 8:30 p.m. and asked the receptionist if he had left some of his belongings there. When the worker tried to help Harrison find the items, Harrison waved a box cutter and robbed him of approximately $200.

Harrison also removed a landline phone cord from the front desk and took the employee’s cell phone to prevent him from calling for help.

Three days later, Harrison robbed a clerk at the Wildcat Family Fare with a knife shortly
before midnight. Another customer used a knife and a dust pan to force Harrison out of the store after Harrison grabbed money from the cash register.

He was ultimately arrested on August 30 after a woman reported being punched and strangled by Harrison on North 11th Street. When officers arrived, Harrison gave them a false name and date of birth. A box cutter and a crack pipe were found in his pockets.