Florida man allegedly carjacks grandmother, writes her 4-page apology letter
LEESBURG, Fla. - A Florida man is accused of carjacking his 77-year-old grandmother – and then writing her a four-page letter apologizing for the incident.
Alan Aspinwall was arrested and charged with unarmed carjacking, domestic battery on a person 65 years of age or older, and theft from a person 65 years of age or older after the incident that unfolded on the night of Feb. 6, according to an arrest affidavit from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
At around 10:15 p.m., deputies responded to a home in Leesburg in reference to a battery and theft. Deputies spoke with the victim, Aspinwall's grandmother, who said Aspinwall asked her to unlock her car so he could grab something from the trunk. When she walked outside to make sure the car was unlocked, Aspinwall allegedly grabbed the key forcefully from her hand, pushed her to the ground in the driveway, got in the car, and fled the scene, the affidavit said.
Deputies said the woman had injuries consistent with her statement, including a small cut on her finger, a laceration on the top of her hand, and another on her forearm.
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The next day, the Leesburg Police Department found the stolen car in Leesburg, but no key was found with it. When Aspinwall was arrested, he had a car key in his possession, but it's unknown now if the key belonged to him or his grandmother, the affidavit said.
Photo: Lake County Sheriff's Office
Police took Aspinwall into custody later that day, and he denied having any involvement in the theft of his grandmother's car, the affidavit said.
"The defendant stated multiple times that he felt remorseful for what happened but would not provide any information regarding the incident itself. The defendant continued to deny involvement; however, the defendant wrote a four-page ‘apology letter’ to the victim," the affidavit said.
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FOX 35 obtained a copy of the letter, which reads in part:
"Dear Grandma: First and foremost you are the most beloved person in the whole world coming from me and everyone else. I want to apologize for not being the young man you raised. … You are my everything. … I'm truly sorry for the negative events that's been going on in my life, my mind has been so in the gutter. … Thank you for always forgiving me even if I'm wrong."
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Aspinwall said that when he comes home from prison, he promises he "will be the great example of a loving father and loving grandson."
"Tell (my son) that his daddy was wrong. Tell him to always respect his grandma," Aspinwall wrote.
Aspinwall also said he was sending his car key to his grandma and asked her to ensure she locked his car.
The sheriff's office says Aspinwall was already wanted for an exposure charge. He now added a carjacking charge and theft and battery on a person over 65. His grandma said she thinks his addiction problems led to this situation.
Sheriff's deputies say attacking someone over age 65 makes the charges more serious. "It's considered a felony, an enhancement charge; it's considered a felony when they are 65 years or older," said Cpl. Chanel Martin, from the Lake County Sheriff's Office. "She is someone that's taken care of him and raised him, so for him to treat her in that manner, in an aggressive way, her being elderly, it's definitely unacceptable, for sure."
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