There are different types of robbery. Robbery by snatching; without a weapon; with a weapon; and with a firearm. Robbery with a firearm is the most serious type of charge and is a first degree felony, which can be punishable by life in prison. This recent story falls into that category…
A man entered a 7-Eleven convenience store at night this past weekend. He was armed with a handgun. He was covered with a hoodie sweatshirt and a bandana. He was also wearing gloves. The suspect demanded money from the clerk who was behind the counter, and then the robber fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. There is video footage of his robbery, so the police should be closing in on him. He will need a defense lawyer ASAP.
When he is caught and possibly charged for “robbery with a firearm”, he will not be entitled to a bond and may be held in jail until his trial date. His lawyer can hold a bond hearing on his behalf, in order to do everything possible to get a bond pending trial.
It’s not a surprise to learn that this charge is a extremely serious one in the state of FL. There can be minimum mandatory jail sentences on these charges. This means that someone would have to serve the sentence day for day without any gain time or good behavior time. If they end up with a 10 year prison sentence, they will serve the entire 10 years. For “robbery with a firearm” there is a minimum 10 year mandatory sentence, if the firearm was used during the felony. If the firearm is fired but no one is injured, there is a 20 year minimum sentence. If someone is shot without being killed there is still a 30 year to life minimum mandatory sentence.
For this suspect and his future legal team, they can at least work with the fact that the gun was not fired.