A man involved in a botched Dollar General robbery has learned his fate.
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Within 15 minutes, a Spalding County jury convicted Jerico Bernard Williams, 24, of one count of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of unlawful restraint and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus twenty years.
The sentencing comes after Williams, Tierra Davis, 28, Demarcus Timmons, 22, all of Atlanta, and a fourth suspect who has not yet been arrested went to a Dollar General on Jackson Road in Griffin to commit an armed robbery.
The incident took place on June 4, 2023.
According to Spalding County deputies, Davis drove the getaway car, Timmons acted as lookout and the fourth suspect grabbed the cashier and forced her to open the register.
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According to the Spalding County Prosecutor’s Office, Williams pointed a gun at a mother and her children who were paying for their groceries and then held the victim at gunpoint until his friend removed the money from the register.
The robbery was captured on surveillance footage from the store. No shots were fired during the robbery, officers said.
A concerned citizen saw the three suspects enter the store and drive away in the getaway car. She was the key to solving the case, because she was able to report the suspect’s vehicle to 911.
A Locust Grove police officer eventually spotted the car and attempted to stop it. The car then pulled into a driveway and two of the passengers ran into a nearby wooded area.
Three suspects were later arrested. One suspect has not yet been arrested.
“We will not tolerate violent crimes against innocent citizens in Spalding County or the Griffin Judicial Circuit,” said District Attorney Marie Broder.
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Williams was previously convicted of hijacking, two counts of armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon in Fulton County in October 2018. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and six years of probation following his incarceration.
Davis is charged with armed robbery and driving on a suspended license. Timmons is charged with armed robbery, false imprisonment and kidnapping.
Davis and Timmons are awaiting trial.
“Around here, there are a lot of people who are armed if they have to go out at that time of night. I don’t know how these guys do it in Atlanta, but robbing a store with customers inside at that time of night is a stupid thing for someone to try. The suspects are lucky they had the opportunity to get caught and not the opportunity to have an autopsy,” said Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix.
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