CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A man who drove to Corpus Christi after kidnapping his estranged wife and child in Oklahoma in 2021, leading to an armed standoff at a local restaurant, has been sentenced to more than 37 years in federal prison.
Joshua Anthony Wallin, 32, was found guilty in June 2023 of kidnapping and brandishing a firearm. Sentencing was handed down on Sept. 20.
Along with the prison sentence, Wallin must provide the victim restitution as ordered by U.S. District Judge David S. Morales.
The crime happened on June 23, 2021 when Wallin confronted his estranged wife at gunpoint at her home in Crescent, Oklahoma, a statement from U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said. He forced her and their 1-year-old son into a car and drove across Texas, authorities said.
On June 24, 2021, the vehicle Wallin and the victims were in was spotted in the Coastal Bend. Wallin then called 911 and was connected to San Patricio County dispatchers.
"The driver called our 911 center and told our dispatcher to have our units back up because he was armed with a gun and a bomb," San Patricio County Sheriff Oscar Rivera said at the time. "He told us he wanted to 'see the ocean.' "
Around 5:31 p.m. that day, Corpus Christi police officers were called to assist in the chase.
After Wallin entered Corpus Christi, tire spikes were laid out on the 4200 block of Baldwin where the vehicle came to a stop. Wallin then entered the nearby Jalisco's restaurant, taking the child inside as a hostage and holding a gun to his head, officials said. The female was able to escape.
Police surrounded the restaurant as the SWAT and Hostage Negotiation Team were called to help. According to Interim Police Chief at the time, David Blackmon, the suspect ended up shooting himself after a three-hour standoff.
Police said SWAT members entered the building to secure the child and administer life-saving efforts to the man. He eventually recovered from his injuries to go on trial.
During the trial, the victim provided testimony describing her fear and how she was sexually assaulted before they left Oklahoma and again along the way.
Testimony revealed Wallin had performed internet searches on his phone the day before the kidnapping in an attempt to locate his estranged wife and to learn how people react when kidnapped, according to federal officials.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that Wallin and the victim were on a vacation when things went horribly wrong. The jury did not believe those claims and found Wallin guilty of kidnapping and brandishing a firearm.
