Phillip Michael Dent, Accused Of Biting Woman While Stealing Her Car, Convicted By Jury
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) -- A man charged with violently assaulting a woman while robbing her of her SUV from inside a car wash was found guilty on all charges Friday by a jury.
The five-day trial in Arapahoe County District Court concluded with Phillip Michael Dent, 52, convicted of Robbery, Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft, 3rd Degree Assault, Arson, and Burglary.
The victim, a 63-year-old woman, told police she drove into the Atlantis Car Wash, 5474 South Federal Circle, Littleton, just after noon on Jan. 28, 2021. She shifted the vehicle into 'park' which automatically unlocked all the vehicle's doors. The windshield was quickly obscured by the wash cycle, she told police.
A man then opened the driver's side door, grabbed her arm, and yelled at her to get out of the car. She resisted. The suspect grabbed the woman by the neck, bit her, pulled her from the vehicle, and drove off with it.
The episode was captured on the business's surveillance cameras. Dent was identified by police as the suspect less than a week later. He was arrested March 8 in Denver by DPD and Littleton officers. A citizen's tip led police to a hotel near 36th Avenue and Quebec Street.
Once before a judge, Dent pleaded not guilty to all charges. His sentencing date will be set later this month.
Dent still has another open case in the same court system. Online criminal records indicate Dent was on probation for criminal mischief and injurious assault of an at-risk person at the time of the car wash car theft.
