A recent armed robbery at a St. Paul cell phone store has resulted in an 80-month prison sentence for one of the assailants, 31-year-old Johnnie Ward, Jr. The sentencing, which took place yesterday, also includes a mandate of three years of supervised release, and restitution totaling $4,900, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota.
On the date of April 5, 2024, Ward, with an accomplice in tow, brandished a torch lighter at a store clerk and forcibly demanded access to the store's safe, threatening the clerk with a dire "hurry up or else." This ordeal ended with the robbers escaping with a haul of cell phones. The Hobbs Act Robbery charge was brought before Judge Susan Richard Nelson in the U.S. District Court, leading to Ward's conviction and sentencing, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the St. Paul Police Department were the lead agencies unraveling the crime leading up to the successful prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Classen, spearheaded the legal proceedings against Ward.
