Janus Ashly Hoffman, 52, of High Ridge allegedly stole a 75-year-old woman’s car and ran over her hand in the process Tuesday, Dec. 2. The woman was taken to Mercy Jefferson Hospital in Crystal City for treatment of minor injuries.
Hoffman has been charged with vehicle hijacking, a class A felony; first-degree assault-special victim, a class A felony; DWI-persistent offender-serious physical injury, a class D felony; and two counts of armed criminal action, unclassified felonies. He was arrested Tuesday and as of 4:45 p.m. Dec. 3, was being held at Festus Police Station without bond awaiting transport to the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro.
Festus Police Capt. Lewis Pippin said the Festus Police Department was called to the gas station at 2:53 p.m. for the report of a carjacking. He said Crystal City Police spotted a 2016 Subaru Outback matching the description of the stolen vehicle. He said Crystal City Police apprehended the man after a brief pursuit.
According to the case’s probable cause statement, a woman told police she was having trouble with the automatic pumping feature on the gas pump. Once the gas pump was set, she got back in her vehicle and then saw the man pumping gas into her vehicle. He told her that he was pumping her gas for her since it was cold.
When she went to get the receipt, Hoffman allegedly got in the passenger side and climbed over the center console to the driver seat. The woman attempted to grab her wallet and key fob from the front seat, but Hoffman drove off, causing her to fall. The SUV ran over her hand, and she struck her head and hip in the fall, the report said.
In addition, video surveillance showed Hoffman enter the SUV from the passenger side and drive away, leaving the victim lying on the ground, the report said.
Hoffman allegedly told Festus Police officers that he ingested six homemade marijuana edibles the night before and he had taken pain pills earlier in the day due to leg pain. He allegedly told hospital staff that he uses fentanyl intravenously and his speech was severely slurred, the police report said.
Further court documents state Hoffman has been sentenced to prison at least four times and has at least five felony convictions.
Class A felonies are punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison. Unclassified felonies are punishable by three to 15 years in prison. A class D felony is punishable by up to seven years in prison.