Iowan gets prison for carjacking with syringe

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque man accused of attempting a carjacking with a syringe has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

The Telegraph Herald in Dubuque reports 32-year-old Richard Kennedy was sentenced on Monday in Dubuque County District Court on charges of third-degree kidnapping and second-degree robbery.

Kennedy was accused of getting into a woman’s car in September 2010, displaying a syringe and demanding that she drive. The woman jumped out of the car and escaped without injury.

Kennedy entered an Alford plea to the charges in August. Under an Alford plea, he didn’t admit guilt but agreed that evidence likely existed for a conviction.