Last week, John Thomas Poitra, a 32-year-old Belcourt, North Dakota, man, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for a carjacking incident he had carried out in Fargo, North Dakota, on March 17, 2020.
After his seven-year imprisonment is up, Poitra will have three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of North Dakota reported in a release. Additionally, Poitra is being made to pay $496.24 to his victim, $1,1880 to the Minnesota Counties Intergovernmental Trust in police vehicle damages and $100 to the court in assessments.
"Carjackings strike at the heart of a community's sense of safety and security," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Paul in the statement. "We hope today's strong sentence will cause anyone to think twice before taking advantage of an unsuspecting victim targeted simply because of the type of car they drive. I want to thank our local partners for their quick work on this case which helped ensure Mr. Poitra's joyride took him straight to federal prison."
On the day of the crime, Poitra approached the victim, who had just parked their Chevy Silverado, the attorney's office reported. Poitra threatened to stab the owner if they didn't give him the keys to the vehicle. Poitra then fled south in the stolen pickup, striking three vehicles as he did so. The Fargo Police Department and North Dakota State Highway Patrol then gave chase to Poitra as he fled east on I-94. He was eventually apprehended in Moorhead, Minnesota.
Poitra pleaded guilty to the carjacking on Sept. 30, 2021, the attorney's office reported.
