Rodolfo Esquivel, 28, of Buford, pleaded guilty on June 5, 2012, to using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. He has at least two prior felony convictions involving illegal drugs.
Esquivel burglarized a private home on McEver Road in Flowery Branch on March 29, 2011 and then carjacked the owner's car when she returned home during the burglary.
U.S. Attorney Sally Yates outlined the course of events on the day of the crime:
"Esquivel was planning to commit a daytime burglary and was looking for houses where the owners were not at home. While Esquivel broke into the house and gathered items to steal, his accomplice waited outside in the car.
"During the burglary, the woman who lived in the home returned. As she drove up her driveway she noticed the unfamiliar car where the accomplice was waiting. Seeing the strange car in her driveway, she parked her car, approached the accomplice, and asked him what he was doing there. The accomplice gestured toward the house and replied that his friend was looking for a gas can. As the woman started toward the house, the accomplice started his vehicle and fled the scene. The woman then saw Rodolfo Esquivel coming toward her from inside of her garage, and she turned and tried to leave. When Esquivel yelled at her to stop, she noticed he was carrying a handgun. Esquivel then discovered that his accomplice had fled, leaving him at the scene without transportation. Esquivel demanded that the woman give him the keys to her vehicle, pointed his weapon at her and threatened to kill her. Esquivel took the woman's keys and her cell phone, smashing the cell phone on the ground.
"He then returned to the garage and retrieved the pillowcase full of items he had stolen from the woman's home. He then fled the scene. The woman then ran to her neighbor's home and called 911."
In addition to the 15-year prison sentence, Esquivel was given 5 years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,034.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/10/254481