A 44-year-old Salem man who attacked his neighbor and stole her car after she gave him a ride has been sentenced to six years in prison.
Rodrelle Sanders of West Church pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a stolen or converted vehicle and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon in connection with the October 18th incident. As part of the plea, charges of aggravated vehicular hijacking and aggravated battery were dropped.
Salem Police say after the victim had given Sanders a ride to Walmart, he wouldn’t leave her out of the car. He used a homemade taser device against the back of her neck and punched her in the face. She was eventually able to get out of the vehicle and go inside the store for help. The victim was taken to Salem Township Hospital for treatment of facial injuries.
In the meantime, Sanders left in her vehicle. It was located on Church Street near Route 37 south of Salem after the victim’s phone that had been left in the car was pinged. There was no one around the vehicle at the time, but after a resident of the area saw footage of a man walking through the woods, Sanders was located still in the area the next day.
Sanders will also have to complete a year of mandatory supervised release and was given credit for 60 days served in the Marion County Jail since his release.
