Judge sentences Bennie Overton to 199 months in carjacking trial

CINCINNATI - A 34-year-old Cincinnati man was sentenced to 199 months in prison for stealing a car at gunpoint.

According to U.S. attorney Carter Stewart, Bennie Overton was sentenced in District Court on Tuesday for a carjacking on April 29, 2012.

Overton was sentenced to 115 months for carjacking and illegal possession of a handgun and an additional 84 months for using a firearm in a crime of violence.

Court officials said Overton approached a man in a parked car and distracted the victim by asking to borrow the car’s cigarette lighter. While the man’s head was turned, Overton pulled out a firearm and held it to the victim’s head.

According to court documents, the victim jumped out of the car and Overton drove off. 

Cincinnati police said they found Overton passed out in the victim’s car on May 4, 2012.

Officers said they found a gun on the seat between Overton’s legs. Police said they found a large quantity of ammunition, two revolvers, a loaded assault rifle, a shotgun and another long rifle at Overton’s apartment.

“Overton, a convicted felon, knew that he was prohibited from possessing firearms and/or ammunition yet did so anyway, showing a blatant disregard for the law,” U.S. Attorney’s Office Cincinnati Branch Chief Anthony Springer wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed with the court.

Several agencies, including the ATF, Cincinnati police and Silverton police, were involved in the investigation.