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Man Sentenced to 294 Months in Prison for Kidnapping and Firearms Offenses
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A North Carolina man has been sentenced to 294 months in prison after being convicted of kidnapping, witness tampering and firearms offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose today. Lonnie Cecil Buchanan, Jr., 47, of Monroe, N.C., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. following his guilty plea in April 2012.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Buchanan held a firearm and approached a female victim at the Hilltop shopping center parking lot in Monroe, N.C. on February 26, 2012. Witnesses described the victim’s ‘blood curdling screams’ as she ran to her vehicle, and Buchanan chased the victim and jumped into her car. The victim was violently struggled with and knocked unconscious, and Buchanan then dragged her to a van he had parked nearby.
Buchanan drove the victim into Chesterfield County in South Carolina, where he repeatedly hit her and told her he would kill her. After 30 hours of being held captive, law enforcement located the van at a vacant house in the woods, with both Buchanan and the victim inside. Buchanan was arrested and the victim was taken to the hospital for treatment.
While in federal custody, Buchanan attempted to persuade the kidnapping victim to recant statements she made to law enforcement and the federal grand jury, leading to two additional charges of witness tampering. Judge Conrad stated that the offense was ‘very serious’ and occurred ‘in broad daylight with a gun.’
The investigation was led by the ATF, the Monroe Police Department, and the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Lynn Dillon and Dana Washington prosecuted the case.
Buchanan will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole. The lengthy prison term is a result of the seriousness of the offense, the need to promote respect for the law, and the need to protect the public from further crimes of the defendant.
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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