Springfield carjacker gets 12 years in prison

Posted: Jun 5, 2023 / 09:53 AM CDT

Updated: Jun 5, 2023 / 01:25 PM CDT

UPDATE 6/5/23 — Channing Shockley was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a carjacking that seriously injured the vehicle’s owner.

Shockley pleaded guilty to seven felonies:

First-degree vehicle hijacking.
Four counts of first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle.
First-degree property damage.
Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in physical injury.

He received 12 years in prison for the first each of the six felonies. For leaving the scene, he received four years. Shockley will serve the sentences concurrently.

One tampering with a motor vehicle and one resisting arrest charges were dropped in the plea agreement.

Original story, published Sept. 21, 2022:

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Springfield man was arrested after a four-vehicle carjacking spree that spread across months.

Channing Mercelles Shockley, 28, of Springfield is being held in the Greene County Jail on suspicion of a series of carjackings that began in May of this year. According to police statements, Shockley is a suspect or person of interest in at least 10 auto theft incidents since May. However, he was only connected to four.

May 3

Around 2:45 p.m. on May 3, police responded to a report about an unknown man inside the caller’s 1994 Ford Explorer. The caller saw the man laying down between the front seats, hitting the ignition with a hammer. The caller yelled at the suspect, who go out of the vehicle and walked away. Inside, there were various tools, including damaged drill bits and a small wrench.

Police collected fingerprints, which the Missouri State Highway Patrol connected to Shockley.

August 12

According to a probable cause statement, Springfield police responded to a call about a person being run over by a vehicle around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 12. When they arrived at a West Chestnut Expressway business, they found that a man had suffered a broken leg, broken teeth, and “significant road rash” after being run over by his own vehicle.

The victim had left the keys inside his 2009 Chevrolet Traverse while he was parked in front of the business. Another man got into the Traverse and began driving away. The victim jumped into the back window of the vehicle as it was pulling out of the lot. The victim fell and was run over.

“I was just expecting the worst and I mean, it was pretty shocking,” said Alyssa Pierce, the manager of the store where the theft happened. “What was on the camera…that was kind of the guy trying to jump through the passenger window and then. On the second side of my store. And I saw him dangling out as the car drove down the street and actually saw the car. And the accident happened but you knew it was coming from what we saw on camera.”

Later that day, police found the stolen vehicle after the victim’s relatives located it. A man and woman were seen exiting the vehicle and leaving on foot.

When police returned to the business, they found a different stolen vehicle: a 2016 Ford Focus with a loaded handgun in the glovebox. Next to it was a picture of a man and a woman taken inside the vehicle. On the back was written “08/10/22.” Police used this photo and the business’ security cameras to identify Shockley.

August 21

A Greene County Sheriff’s Office deputy tried to stop a stolen 2009 Honda CR-V around 6:10 p.m. on Aug. 21. The driver of the CR-V led the deputy on a pursuit around the city, reaching speeds up to 110 mph. Deputies eventually lost sight of the vehicle and when they regained a visual, the vehicle was abandoned.

Deputies found a gas station receipt in the vehicle. Law enforcement watched security footage from the gas station. They used this video to identify Shockley.

August 25-27

Police were processing a stolen Ford F-150 Raptor on Aug. 27 when they found a receipt to a fast food restaurant from Aug. 25. They watched that South Campbell Avenue restaurant’s security footage from around 12:50 p.m. to watch the man in the F-150 place his order. Police identified the man as Shockley.