A 48-year-old Clinton Township man accused of holding up a nail salon, a fast-food restaurant and a cash advance store at gunpoint over the course of a week last December has pleaded no contest to charges stemming from all three robberies, facing a minimum of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced next month. Anthony Patterson entered his plea during a pretrial hearing this past Thursday, resolving three separate criminal cases at once.
Patterson's plea was entered August 6 in Macomb County Circuit Court before Judge Matthew P. Sabaugh, with Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Paige Boll representing the state, according to Breaking News 989. He pleaded no contest to two counts of armed robbery, two counts of felony firearm, firearms possession by a prohibited person, and an enhancement as a habitual offender, as reported by FOX 2 Detroit.
The spree began December 5, when Patterson brandished a handgun inside Starlight Nails in Eastpointe, forcing five employees and two customers to the ground before making off with cash, a victim's driver's license and a debit card, Hoodline previously reported on the Eastpointe hold-up. Every employee and customer inside the salon was targeted during the encounter, according to FOX 2's account of the case.
A Week of Hold-Ups Across Macomb County
Days later, Patterson robbed a Clinton Township Wendy's on Gratiot, forcing the manager to open the safe and taking money from three workers, per the station's report. The spree ended December 12 at the Advance America cash advance store on Harper Avenue in St. Clair Shores, where Patterson ordered two employees and a customer to the ground at gunpoint before stealing cash from drawers and a cash box, according to C & G Newspapers.
Patterson was arraigned January 6 in 40th District Court, where Judge Mark Fratarcangeli set bond at $1.5 million with a mandatory GPS tether requirement if he were released, the outlet reported. Unable to post bond, Patterson has remained lodged in the Macomb County Jail since his arrest.
Judge, Not Prosecutor, Set the Sentencing Cap
The 20-year minimum sentence Patterson faces was not the product of a negotiated plea deal with prosecutors but rather a judicial sentencing evaluation offered independently by Judge Sabaugh, a procedure under Michigan law that allows judges to evaluate potential sentences without prosecutor negotiation or approval, per the same account from Breaking News 989. That distinction matters because the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office was not a party to the 20-year figure, even as it pursued the underlying charges.
Under Michigan Compiled Laws Section 750.529, armed robbery is a felony punishable by imprisonment for life or any term of years, according to CaseMine. Michigan's felony firearm statute separately imposes a mandatory two-year prison sentence for a first conviction, to be served consecutively to and before the sentence for the underlying felony, per Safe & Just Michigan. A third-offense habitual offender notice filed in all three cases can also double the maximum statutory sentence a defendant faces, according to Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Prosecutor's Office Emphasizes Accountability
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a statement that armed robbery is a serious violent crime that threatens public safety and undermines the sense of security every member of our community deserves, adding that this plea is an important step toward holding the defendant accountable. Lucido's office has previously emphasized a strict stance against armed robbery, framing it as a threat to business workers and patrons that warrants determined prosecution, per C & G Newspapers.
Victims of the robberies will receive restitution as part of the case's resolution, FOX 2 reported. Patterson is expected to be formally sentenced September 16 at 9 a.m. in Mount Clemens, with the prison terms for all three cases scheduled to run concurrently, meaning the sentences will be served simultaneously rather than stacked one after another.
