Man indicted for stealing cab, abducting driver

CINCINNATI - The man who stole a taxi and shoved its driver into the trunk could face more than 60 years in prison after he was indicted in court Tuesday morning.

Charles Black, 30, led police on a chase in a stolen cab on Sept. 8 until he crashed the vehicle in Elmwood. Police apprehended Black and discovered missing cab driver, 33-year-old Mulugeta Shiferaw, in the trunk when they searched the vehicle.

Black is charged with one count of aggravated robbery, one count of robbery, three counts of felonious assault, two counts of kidnapping and one count of failure to comply with an order of signal of a police officer. If convicted of all charges, he faces the possibility of 68 years in prison. Two of the felonious assault charges stem from Black’s attempt to hit two Springfield Township officers during the pursuit.

Shiferaw, who was in the trunk of the cab for about 10 hours, sustained serious injuries. Shiferaw is hospitalized and expected to be permanently disabled as a result of the abduction, according to information released from Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters.

Black, who has several criminal convictions including drug crimes, was released from prison earlier this month.

“I cannot imagine anything more horrible than being stuffed in a dark, airless, tight space for 10 hours,” Deters said in a news release. “Black, only recently out of prison, should go back to prison for the rest of his life.”

The judge set Black’s bond at $1.5 million during a previous court hearing.