Parkersburg man sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on carjacking charge

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg man who used a gun to steal a taxi was sentenced today to 12 years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Marshall Leroy Saunders, 29, previously pleaded guilty to carjacking.

Saunders was a suspect in an unrelated crime when police observed him entering a taxi in Vienna on October 6, 2016. Saunders admitted that when police attempted to pull the taxi over, he pointed a loaded pistol at the driver and ordered him out of the vehicle. Saunders then took control of the taxi and fled to Parkersburg, driving at speeds of up to 110 miles per hour, running a red light, and driving the taxi southbound in the northbound lane of Grand Central Avenue. Saunders abandoned the taxi in Parkersburg, then hid in a wooded area until he was apprehended by police. 

The Vienna Police Department, the Parkersburg Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney James Matthew Davis handled the prosecution. Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.

• Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews