Man Coerces Wife and Children into Truck After Their Escape to Hotel

An Indiana man, who terrorized his family by forcing them into his truck at gunpoint and threatening their lives, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Robert Vanatta, aged 30, received a sentence of two decades behind bars, followed by two years of probation, for a domestic violence incident that unfolded last year. According to court records, Vanatta was found guilty of 14 felony charges. These included three counts of criminal confinement, four counts of intimidation, three counts of criminal recklessness, and individual counts of strangulation, domestic battery in the presence of a child under 16, and neglect of a dependent.

In a statement shared by local journalist Johnette Cruz, Johnson County Prosecuting Attorney Lance Hamner explained that the situation began on March 22, 2025. Vanatta’s wife, their young daughter, and her two teenage sons fled their Marion County home to evade him. However, Vanatta managed to track them down to a Candlewood Suites hotel in Greenwood, Indiana.

Court documents, as reported by local NBC affiliate WTHR, indicate that Vanatta’s wife arrived at the hotel with the three children on the evening of March 22, 2025. She informed the hotel clerk of their dire situation and requested that Vanatta not be informed of their presence. Despite Vanatta arriving about 20 minutes later, the clerk adhered to her request and did not disclose their whereabouts.

Believing the coast was clear after Vanatta left, his wife decided it was safe to leave with the children. Her 17-year-old son drove them away from the hotel, but they soon spotted Vanatta’s truck heading back toward them. In a terrifying turn of events, Vanatta rammed their vehicle, forcing it off the road. He then approached the car, assaulted his teenage stepson who was driving, and coerced the family at gunpoint to transfer into his truck.

The wife and three children complied. Once inside the truck, Vanatta punched his wife in the face, knocking off her glasses and causing her head to bounce off the window. Vanatta told his wife and children, “I’ve got something for you when we get home.” One of the boys started recording him, capturing several threats on their lives, including, “I’m going to shoot every one of you.”

Believing that Vanatta was planning to kill them, the older teen started stabbing his stepfather with a box cutter. At some point, the wife got her hands on Vanatta’s gun and fired three or four warning shots to stop the fighting. Vanatta pulled over and let them out of the truck. After he drove away, the family ran back to the hotel to call the police.

After police caught up to Vanatta, he told them he “blacked out” during an argument with his stepson.

Vanatta was found guilty of all 14 charges against him following a trial that concluded on March 27. During the sentencing hearing on Thursday, Johnson County Circuit Court Judge Roesener commended the teenage boys for their bravery, saying their actions likely saved their whole family’s lives.