Man convicted of carjacking bank employee

Man convicted of carjacking bank employee

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — A man has been convicted of federal carjacking charges that he forced a bank employee to drive to her branch at gunpoint because he was upset about his girlfriend’s home being foreclosed.

The Bradford Era reports a U.S. District Court jury in Williamsport deliberated less than three hours before convicting 58-year-old Thomas Edward Smith, of Emporium, on Wednesday. He’ll be sentenced Nov. 15.

Federal prosecutors say Smith pretended his car broke down and flagged down the employee for a ride, then ordered her at gunpoint to drive to a Citizens & Northern Bank branch in Emporium on Aug. 8, 2012.

The woman eventually refused and jumped from her vehicle in a convenience store parking lot. Smith also ran away at that point and eluded arrest for about a month.