A Sand Springs man who kidnapped and threatened to kill a former dating partner was sentenced today in federal court, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Michael Joseph Pointer, 43, to 15 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Pointer pleaded guilty in May 2021 to carjacking; kidnapping in Indian Country; and carrying, using, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. According to court documents and hearings, Pointer had a history of threats and acts of violence.
In a written plea plea agreement, Pointer admitted that on April 3, 2020, he kidnapped a former dating partner using force and intimidation. The defendant threatened to kill the victim and her family in a ‘bloodbath’ and fired his shotgun at the victim, narrowly missing her head. At that time, Pointer knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his previous felony conviction.
Pointer then took the victim and her Mercury minivan, driving her around Tulsa against her will. At one point, the victim was able to break away from Pointer and run into a convenience store where she hid in a bathroom. A store employee called authorities. Tulsa Police officers responded to the call, located the vehicle, and conducted a traffic stop. Officers discovered a 12-gauge shot gun and ammunition in the vehicle.
At his sentencing hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Chantelle Dial stated that Pointer exhibited an escalating pattern of domestic violence since 2005. She noted previous allegations of abuse, including an incident where Pointer strangled an intimate partner. Dial suggested that based on domestic violence statistics, those strangulation allegations coupled with his use of a firearm during the kidnapping made it far more likely Pointer would kill his next intimate partner.
The FBI and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chantelle Dial prosecuted the case.
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