FCPD: Man arrested for attempted car theft for sale in Centreville

A Maryland man was arrested earlier this month for allegedly attempting to steal a car he was reportedly interested in purchasing, Fairfax County police report.

Officers were called to the 14600 block of Seasons Drive in the Bryarton neighborhood of Centreville on June 5 at 10:09 p.m. for a reported car theft. According to Fairfax County police, a man named Rodney Hart Jr., 25, contacted two other men to express their interest in purchasing a car they had listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

“While the suspect was examining the interior of the vehicle, he ordered the victims to exit. The victims refused to exit the vehicle and a struggle ensued,” FCPD said in a news release issued today (Thursday). “…One victim was treated at the scene for minor injuries.”

According to FCPD, the suspect fled the scene on foot before police arrived.

Police say they identified Hart as a suspect based on evidence found at the scene and “a thorough investigation.” He was arrested on June 6 in Centreville, near the 14600 block of Seasons Drive.

Hart was charged with attempted auto theft and attempted kidnapping by force or intimidation, according to Fairfax County District Court records. He is currently in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9.

According to court documents, the hearing will also address a June 5, 2022, auto theft charge. Hart was apparently arrested for that on May 29. He was released on bail after a bail hearing on May 31.

He previously pleaded guilty on November 22, 2021, to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle for a March 2020 offense. Court records show the charge in that case was changed from grand larceny to auto theft, a felony.

According to FCPD, Hart was arrested in this case on April 20, 2020, in Prince George’s County, Maryland. A person had reported their vehicle stolen on March 29 at 4:48 p.m. in the 2700 block of Gallows Road near the Dunn Loring Metro station in Merrifield.

“Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau were assigned to the case and during their investigation identified Rodney Hart of Maryland as a suspect,” the FCPD said.

According to the court database, he was sentenced to one year in prison, with 245 days suspended. The sentence also included 12 months of unsupervised probation, a 60-day suspension of his driver’s license and a $300 fine.

The Office of the Public Defender, which is listed as Hart’s defense attorney, told FFXnow that it “cannot comment at this time.”