Gary L. Thomas, Carjacking, Kentucky 2017

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Kentucky Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Carjacking

A Mt. Sterling man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for carjacking and use of a firearm during a violent offense.

On March 18, 2017, Gary L. Thomas, 31, stole a Ford pickup truck near Morehead, Ky., which contained a firearm, a .380 caliber pistol. He was pursued by state law enforcement officers who clocked speeds near 120 miles per hour during the chase. Thomas wrecked the vehicle in Clark County and attempted to stop several other vehicles, armed with the stolen firearm.

He pointed the firearm at a good Samaritan who stopped to offer assistance and robbed him of his 2005 Ford F250. Thomas was ultimately captured by local law enforcement after wrecking the second stolen truck.

Thomas was on state parole at the time of the commission of these offenses and his parole was subsequently revoked for a term of 15 years. The federal sentence imposed today was ordered to run consecutively to his revoked parole.

Under federal law, Thomas must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence and will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for five years. The investigation was conducted by the ATF, the Mt. Sterling Police Department, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Department.

The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and making neighborhoods safer. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made addressing rising violent crime in America a top priority and has reinvigorated PSN to achieve this goal.

U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr. for the Eastern District of Kentucky, along with other law enforcement officials, made the announcement. The case highlights the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies in combating violent crime.

Thomas pleaded guilty to the charges in November of 2017 and was ordered to pay $11,000 in restitution to the victim. The case serves as a reminder of the consequences of carjacking and the use of a firearm during a violent offense.

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