Crime & Safety
Carjacking At Montco Mall Ends With State Prison Sentence
Andre Philip Hoston, 25, of Philadelphia, will be spending time behind bars after he admitted to carjacking a woman in King of Prussia.
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA — A city man is heading to state prison after he pleaded guilty in connection with a terrorizing carjacking that took place this past spring at one of Montgomery County's premier shopping destinations.
Andre Philip Hoston, 25, of Philadelphia, was sentenced recently to 22 to 44 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to a felony robbery charge in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, according to court records and media reports.
Hoston was sentenced on Oct. 13 by Judge Thomas M. DelRicci, who, according to the court docket, also ordered the defendant to complete three years' probation after he is paroled from a state correctional institution.
Find out what's happening in Lower Providencefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The case against Hoston began back in early March when police were called out to a report of a robbery in the parking lot of the Lord & Taylor store at the King of Prussia Plaza, according to a report in the Mercury newspaper.
The report says that the female victim had just finished shopping and was about to put merchandize away in the trunk of her vehicle when a man, later identified as Hoston, approached her, acted as if he had a gun on him, demanded the keys to her vehicle and even told the victim that she needed to get inside the car.
Find out what's happening in Lower Providencefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Hoston also reportedly stated that he was planning to kill her during the encounter.
Hoston ended up getting into the vehicle without the woman and fled to Philadelphia, where city police were able to later apprehend him.
Court records show that DelRicci also ordered Hoston to have no contact with the victim or the victim's family.
Hoston was originally charged with an additional four felony counts and one misdemeanor relating to the carjacking, but those charges were dismissed in exchange for him pleading guilty on the single felony count of robbery causing fear of immediate serious bodily injury.
Court records show the case was prosecuted by Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Patricia A. Dugan.
Hoston was represented by defense attorney Thomas Kenny of Philadelphia.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
