ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602090065
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
A man charged with taking the car of an 86-year-old Roanoke woman last fall and abducting her to Amherst County was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison.
John David Ford, 32, entered an Alford plea to charges of abduction, carjacking and the use of a firearm, according to Amherst County Commonwealth's Attorney Ed Meeks. An Alford plea means the defendant maintains his innocence while acknowledging there is sufficient evidence to convict him.
Ford was arrested in Boston after a three-day journey that began in the parking lot of Towers Shopping Center in Southwest Roanoke.
About 1:30 p.m. Oct. 7, Ford forced the woman into her car at gunpoint as she walked from one of the stores. Ford made her lie on the floor of the front passenger seat, then took her to a wooded area in Amherst County where he tied her up and left her. The woman broke free, and a passer-by found her walking along the side of a road. She was not injured.
Three days later, Boston police found Ford asleep in the back seat of the woman's 1992 Oldsmobile Delta 88. Police also found the victim's pocketbook and recovered a .22-caliber handgun with 10 unspent rounds.
At the time of his arrest, Ford had been out of prison for several months after serving time for property offenses, Meeks said.
LENGTH: Short : 34 linesby CNB