A Florida man today admitted assaulting two U.S. Air Force military police officers with his car at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, a U.S. military base located in Burlington County, New Jersey.
Hal Wander, 25, of Port Charlotte, Florida, pleaded guilty by teleconference before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to an information charging him with assault on two federal officers using a deadly and dangerous weapon, namely, a motor vehicle.
According to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger and statements made in court, Wander drove his vehicle at a high rate of speed into Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst without stopping at the designated check point on Nov. 16, 2020.
Two Air Force military police officers—identified in charging documents as Victims 1 and 2—gave chase in marked police vehicles.
Victim 1 positioned his car in front of Wander in an attempt to stop Wander, and Wander intentionally drove his car into Victim 1’s military police vehicle.
Victim 2 positioned his military police vehicle behind Wander’s vehicle, and Wander intentionally drove his car backward into Victim 2’s vehicle.
While Wander’s car was stopped, Victim 1 reached into Wander’s vehicle and attempted to turn off the ignition.
Wander then drove forward, dragging Victim 1 several feet before Victim 1 was able to disengage from Wander’s vehicle.
Wander continued to drive his vehicle dangerously until he hit a utility pole, came to a stop, and was arrested.
The assault charge to which Wander pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for June 15, 2022.
Wander was previously sentenced to five months in jail in Charlotte County, Florida, for attempting to elude police officers, driving with no motor vehicle registration while his license was suspended and resisting an officer without violence. A charge of possessing drug paraphernalia was dropped.