A plea deal made with federal prosecutors will see a 22-year-old from Dallas serve 15 years for stealing a vehicle from a woman at gunpoint.
After pleading guilty to a carjacking charge at the start of this year, Randy Hordge was formally sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay for the Northern District of Texas, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Mr. Hordge now has 15 years to think about and regret his actions,” said Jeffrey C. Boshek II, special agent in charge with the Dallas Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, which led the investigation into Hordge.
The carjacking charge stems from an incident that occurred on October 7, 2020, when Hordge targeted two separate women for their vehicles. Two hours after dragging the first woman out of her car by her hair and driving away in it, he confronted the second victim in the driveway of a home.
Forcing her inside the car while brandishing a firearm, Hordge drove off with her still inside.
“Mr. Hordge eventually pulled the car over and told the individual that she had five seconds to run or that she would be shot,” the news release reported.
Federal prosecutor Leigha Simonton pointed out that the authorities’ response to this incident reflects a broader effort to put violent offenders behind bars.
“Reducing violent crime is not enough — we will not rest as long as any citizen is victimized in this way,” she said.
Although the Dallas Police Department implemented a Violent Crime Reduction Plan in 2021, targeting violent crime hot spots, the number of murders reported in the city continues to increase. The City’s crime analytics dashboard shows a 12.2% increase in homicides this year compared to 2022, as of November 24.
At the same time, a severe police shortage has hampered the DPD’s ability to get crime under control. The department maintains a force of fewer than 3,200 sworn personnel, far fewer than the 4,000 recommended by a City report.
Furthermore, vehicle-related crimes have been soaring across Dallas lately. Motor vehicle theft has seen an astronomical rise of over 41%. One study by the Metroplex Civic and Business Association in April found that while Downtown Dallas experienced 91 motor vehicle thefts, Fort Worth’s downtown area only clocked two. The latter reportedly has a designated police unit monitoring its city center alongside private security guards.
