3rd Lyle robber gets 20 years probation
Published 10:20 am Tuesday, January 13, 2015
A third man who robbed a Lyle gas station in 2013 was sentenced Monday to 20 years of probation for first-degree aggravated robbery.
Keion Clay, 23, will also have to pay $1,870 in restitution. He faces a 41-month prison sentence if he violates his probation.
One of his partners, Elgin Green, 21, was sentenced last Friday to four years in prison. Vonzell Whitehead, was sentenced in January 2014 to 67 months in prison for his role in the robbery. Tuquan Smith will be sentenced this Friday.
According to the court complaint, the four men allegedly robbed the Freeborn County Co-Op Oil in Lyle at about 9 a.m. Nov. 10, 2013. The store clerk said three men entered the store, and one demanded all of the money. Another allegedly followed the clerk to an office and took more money and checks.
The clerk locked the doors after the men left and called 911.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to the call while an Austin Police officer set up surveillance outside of Austin. That officer later stopped a car with the four suspects in Austin.
Officers searched the vehicle for a gun for their safety, and according to the court complaint, found a sweatshirt with a .22-caliber revolver, $353 in cash and eight checks written to the gas station.
A search warrant later uncovered dark clothing and hats.
The employee later identified Whitehead and Green as two of the four suspects. Police reviewed video surveillance, which indicated some of the suspects were in the store earlier that morning.
The complaint alleges Green pointed the gun at the clerk, and Whitehead pocketed money before leaving the store. Witnesses gave matching descriptions of the suspects’ car, as well.