MADISON COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A man has been sentenced in Madison County after he pled guilty to dragging a woman while stealing her vehicle.

Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that Edward Carroll Walker, 58, pled guilty to aggravated assault in Madison County Circuit Court. He was sentenced to 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC).

On April 4, 2023, Ridgeland police responded to the Chevron on East County Line Road in reference to a car being stolen. When they arrived, the victim stated she had stopped at the gas station to get a cup of coffee on her way to work. The victim had left her car running while she ran inside, and when she returned, she saw Walker getting in her car.

Police said the woman attempted to stop Walker by opening the driver’s side door and trying to get him out, but he drove off with her still holding onto the door. According to investigators, Walker drug the victim through the parking lot before she was able to let go as he entered onto County Line Road. The woman was injured during the incident.

Officers located the stolen car at the Red Roof Inn and spotted an individual matching the suspect’s description looking out of one of the motel windows. Police arrested Walker, who was also in possession of the victim’s credit card.

“Mr. Walker made a series of terrible decisions the morning of April 4, 2023. He entered into a vehicle he knew wasn’t his, he stole the car and the contents inside the car, but the worse decision he made was dragging the innocent female as she tried to stop him from taking her property,” said Bramlett. “I want to commend the Ridgeland Police Department for acting quickly and apprehending the suspect before he was able to use the victim’s credit card or cause damage to her car. Hopefully, after he serves this twenty year sentence, he will think twice before coming to Madison County and so recklessly committing crimes or injuring our citizens.”