6 days ago
Peoria woman accused of hijacking SUV from man in shopping center parking lot
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Peoria woman faces up to 30 years in prison for 'brazen behavior' when she allegedly attacked and hijacked a 66-year-old man's vehicle.
Taccara V. Dear, 32, appeared in Peoria County Circuit Court on charges of aggravated vehicular hijacking and possession of a stolen motor vehicle in connection with an incident Sunday afternoon in Sterling Plaza shopping center.
The aggravating factor in the case was the victim's age. If convicted, Dear faces up to 30 years in prison.
She appeared by way of ZOOM, clad in the orange jumpsuit of an inmate at the Peoria County Jail.
Peoria County prosecutors sought to have Dear detained pending the outcome of her case. Judge Mark Gilles agreed.
The reason behind Gilles' decision?
It was a 'brazen behavior' on a 'vulnerable population' and on a stranger, showing no combination of pretrial conditions could protect the public from Dear, he said.
She shook her head and put her head in her hands several times as Gilles handed down his decision.
At about 4 p.m. Sunday, officers were called to the shopping center on a report of a stolen car. When they arrived, they found the victim who said he was getting into his vehicle when a woman, allegedly Dear, reached through the window of his 2008 Ford Escape, took his keys from the ignition, and fled on foot.
When he tried to stop her, she struck him multiple times before getting into his vehicle and driving away. She was caught later and allegedly admitted to taking the vehicle.
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