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Press Release

West Des Moines Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Prison for Carjacking at Gun Point

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa – On January 12, 2018, Joseph Richard Salcido, age 25, of West Des Moines, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Robert W. Pratt to 90 months of imprisonment for carjacking a relative at gun point in April 2017, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum.

Salcido pled guilty on July 19, 2017, to carjacking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1), and to the use and carry of a firearm in connection with that offense, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). As part of the guilty plea proceeding, Salcido admitted that he took the vehicle by force and while displaying a firearm, a Smith and Wesson 40 caliber semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number, and that he took the police on a high-speed chase through Des Moines residential areas.

The record indicated that speeds of the chase reached 60 miles per hour and involved the running of four stop signs as Salcido eluded police in an attempt to discard controlled substances, including cocaine, and the firearm used in the carjacking. After his arrest near the 5800 block of Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa, Salcido made four calls to third parties from the Polk County Jail in an attempt to retrieve the discarded controlled substances and firearm. Law enforcement ultimately retrieved both the controlled substances and firearm. Salcido's sentence was enhanced due to recklessly endangering the lives of others while eluding police and for attempting to obstruct justice.

This investigation was conducted by the West Des Moines Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Contact

Rachel J. Scherle
515-473-9300
Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov

Updated January 12, 2018

Topic
Violent Crime