Lawrenceville Man Makes Headlines with Armed Robbery Arrest

Gwinnett County Courthouse

Lawrenceville, Ga. - Gwinnett County Police Officers arrested a local man in Lawrenceville after connecting him to the alleged armed robbery of a gas station that occurred in June.

The man is facing charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault, theft by receiving, forgery, and methamphetamine possession. According to officers and investigators, the man entered a Racetrack located on Sugarloaf Parkway with a firearm. He pointed a gun at the employee in charge of the cash register. He demanded all of the cash. The suspect made it away from the scene of the crime, but was detained this past week.

As a Gwinnett County Criminal Defense Lawyer, I will outline the law behind the crime of armed robbery in today's post.

Armed Robbery in Georgia

O.C.G.A. § 16-8-41 outlines the offense of armed robbery in Georgia as:

A person commits the offense of armed robbery when, with intent to commit theft, he or she takes property of another from the person or the immediate presence of another by use of an offensive weapon, or any replica, article, or device having the appearance of such weapon. The offense of robbery by intimidation shall be a lesser included offense in the offense of armed robbery.

A person convicted of the offense of armed robbery shall be punished by death or imprisonment for life or by imprisonment for not less than ten nor more than twenty years.

If the defendant commits armed robbery and in the course of the commission of the offense such person unlawfully takes a controlled substance from a pharmacy or a wholesale druggist and intentionally inflicts bodily injury upon any person, such facts shall be charged in the indictment or accusation and, if found to be true by the court or if admitted by the defendant, the defendant shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than 15 years.

An armed robbery conviction comes with a minimum of a ten-year sentence. This ten-year sentence cannot be waived or probated. This makes armed robbery more of a serious felony than other felony offenses in the state of Georgia.

Practice Note

If charged with a crime in the state of Georgia, call our offices now. We can help you with your case and determine the best course of action for you. Call today.