DC Superior Court Judge Robert Salerno sentenced a carjacking defendant on June 12 to seven years in prison for an incident the victim said took away his sense of safety.
Da’Andre Pardlow, 31, pleaded guilty on March 12 to unarmed carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The charges stemmed from an incident on Sept. 13, 2024 at Fort Dupont Park, on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, SE.
According to court records, Pardlow forced a man to drive to an ATM and withdraw money at gunpoint after the two met in a park for a sexual encounter.
As part of the plea deal, parties agreed to a total seven years of imprisonment for Pardlow, subject to Judge Salerno’s approval.
The prosecutor read an impact statement to the court from the victim in which he described the traumatic incident. He told the judge how Pardlow forced him to ride naked in the passenger seat of his own car and withdraw money from an ATM machine, all while Pardlow held a gun with the handle wrapped with the victim’s own shirt.
The victim said when Pardlow later made him drive by his own house, he feared that Pardlow planned to attack him again. The victim stated that this crime was “not simply the theft of a vehicle” but rather the theft of his sense of security.
The prosecutor claimed Pardlow had extensive criminal history, and asserted seven years was a “very fair offer.”
Pardlow’s attorney, Patrick Nowak, said his client was “willing and able to accept responsibility” for the crime during the early stages of the investigation and the judge should take that under consideration when deciding to approve the plea deal.
Nowak directed the court to Pardlow’s family sitting in the courtroom gallery, whom he said had attended every one of Pardlow’s hearings.
Judge Salerno called the victim’s statement “fairly chilling” and reprimanded Pardlow for “self-destructive behavior.”
The judge said there were “reasons to accept” and “reasons to reject” the plea deal but ultimately approved it. He sentenced Pardlow to seven years for both counts to run concurrently.
Upon release, Pardlow must complete three years of supervised release and register as a gun offender in DC.
Pardlow elected not to make a statement before Judge Salerno handed down his sentence.
No further hearings are scheduled for this case.
