Two Chicago Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Carjacking and Weapons Offenses

CHICAGO — Two Chicago men who carjacked a sport-utility vehicle at gunpoint in the city’s Goose Island neighborhood have each been sentenced to eleven years in federal prison.

JASON DORTCH, 20, and DAVONTAE JONES, 20, forcibly took the Jeep Grand Cherokee on Nov. 13, 2017.  During the carjacking, the Jeep’s owner was struck on the back of the head with a gun, while a second gun was pointed at the heads of both the owner and a passenger.

Dortch and Jones pleaded guilty earlier this year to carjacking and weapons offenses.  U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr., on Thursday sentenced Dortch and Jones to eleven years apiece in federal prison.

The sentencings were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI; and Eddie Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Oak Park Police Department, and Illinois State Police provided valuable assistance.

The case was investigated by the Chicago 11th District Violent Crimes Task Force, which consists of agents and officers from the FBI, CPD, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

“In a city that has seen carjackings and shootings in staggering numbers, violent crimes like the ones the defendants committed should not be tolerated,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeannice W. Appenteng and Kalia Coleman argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “The defendants’ conduct demonstrates profound disrespect for the law and complete disregard for fellow citizens and the community.”

According to evidence in the case, the owner of the Jeep complied with the defendants’ demands for the keys, and also handed over $40.  About 30 minutes later and a mile away, a CPD officer observed the defendants in the stolen Jeep.  Dortch and Jones refused to stop and instead led police on a high-speed chase onto the Eisenhower Expressway.  The defendants eventually lost control of the vehicle, crashing it just east of the Harlem Avenue exit in Oak Park.  They were arrested nearby after a foot chase.