Arizona Man Indicted in Gordo Carjacking

BIRMINGHAM—A federal grand jury today indicted an Arizona man for a February carjacking in Pickens County, U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Patrick Maley announced.

The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court, charges STACY DRAKE, 35, of Phoenix, Ariz., with carjacking, using a firearm during a carjacking, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Count One charges that DRAKE forcibly took a GMC pickup truck from a Reform man in Pickens County on Feb. 21. Count Two charges DRAKE took the vehicle at gunpoint, and Count Three charges DRAKE was a convicted felon at the time he possessed the .45-caliber pistol used in the carjacking.

The maximum sentence for carjacking as charged in Count One is 15 years. Using a firearm during a carjacking carries a mandatory consecutive seven-year sentence. Drake could face a possible life sentence on the felon in possession charge, because of previous convictions.

“The Gordo Police Department acted swiftly to protect the people it serves and to capture a suspect in a violent crime that threatened a man’s life,” Vance said. Gordo Police and special agents of the FBI investigated the case.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent, and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.