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TOOELE — A man is accused of carjacking a woman in front of a Wendover casino and driving 100 miles before he let her go, according to charging documents.
Marc Thomas Banyai, 51, of Midvale, was charged in Tooele’s 3rd District Court with kidnapping and having a stolen vehicle, both second-degree felonies.
On Wednesday, just after 10 p.m., a woman was sitting in the passenger seat of her car in front of the Montego Bay Casino in Wendover while her husband checked them in when Banyai jumped into the driver’s seat, according to charging documents.
Banyai drove to Lake Point in Tooele County, at which point the woman told the man she needed to use the restroom, the charges state. After dropping off the woman, Banyai continued driving.
Police used the car’s GPS to track it to Midvale where Banyai was arrested.
Wendover police said Banyai was spotted walking around the casino parking lot earlier in the evening. When the woman’s car pulled up, Banyai was seen on surveillance video going down the stairs of the casino and getting into her car.
Banyai “admitted to planning to steal the car, taking the car and the female being inside the car. Marc said he drove the car over 100 miles and dropped the female off in Lake Point,” the charges state.
Banyai’s criminal history in Utah dates back 30 years, according to court records.
