Man Pleads Guilty in Attempted Car Theft, Assault Case

| March 7, 2017

handcuffs-crime1-2BARKEYVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – A 23-year-old man has pleaded guilty to charges related to the assault of a man and attempted car theft in Barkeyville Borough.

According to court documents, on February 23, Tan Cao Nguyen, of Randolph, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to a first-degree felony charge of Criminal Attempt-Robbery of a Motor Vehicle and a third-degree felony charge of Theft by Unlawful Taking-Movable Property.

As a result of the guilty plea, all other charges were dismissed.

Nguyen remains lodged in the Venango County Jail on $150,000.00 monetary bail.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 7.

Details of the Case

According to a previous story on explorevenango.com, Pa. State Police Trooper Hagan was dispatched to a service station on Route 8 in Barkeyville Borough for a suspect who had attacked a man as he was attempting to get into his vehicle.

While en route, Trooper Hagan was informed that the suspect had fled the scene on foot.

The complaint stated that upon arrival, Trooper Hagan located the suspect in a fast food parking lot across from the service station and took him in custody. Details of the Incident

According to the complaint, a witness – a 60-year-old man at the scene – observed the suspect traveling west on Interstate 80 prior to the incident in a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Massachusetts’ registration. The witness and the suspect both got off I-80 at the Barkeyville exit and processed to a gas station.

According to the witness, upon arrival at the gas station, Nguyen exited the Jeep and pulled on the door handle of another vehicle in the gas station’s parking lot. Nguyen was unable to get in the vehicle. The witness continued to watch him as he entered the store and walked around.

The witness observed Nguyen exit the store and have an altercation with a known, 51-year-old man. The witness continued to follow Nguyen until Hagan arrived.

The witness positively identified Nguyen after he was taken into custody, according to the complaint.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee – bearing a Massachusetts registration – was found to be reported as stolen January 14 and the theft was confirmed by the Randolph Police Department in Massachusetts.

While on the scene, Trooper Hagan also spoke with the victim and learned that Nguyen followed the victim out of the gas station and to his vehicle, a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu Sedan.

When the victim reached his vehicle, Nguyen then allegedly took a swing at him. The victim was able to avoid being struck. Nguyen then began to allegedly pursue the victim for a short distance on foot and then eventually fled on foot, the complaint continues.


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