Greenup — A judge on Thursday upheld a jury’s recommendation that a man who robbed a Greenup County fast-food restaurant last year spend more than 20 years in prison.
Greenup Circuit Judge Bob Conley sentenced James D. Sparks Jr. to 23 years in prison.
Sparks passed on an opportunity to speak on his own behalf prior to Conley pronouncing sentence, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Melvin C. Leonhart said.
Sparks was convicted in July of first-degree robbery, which is normally a Class B felony and carries a possible prison sentence of 10 to 20 years. However, because the jury also found Sparks guilty of being a persistent felony offender, the charge was enhanced to a Class A felony with a possible sentence of 20 years to life.
Sparks was found guilty of robbing the Subway restaurant in South Shore on Sept. 17.
Sparks waited outside by a Dumpster for the restaurant to close. When an employee brought out the trash, Sparks approached the worker, told him he was armed and that he was robbing the business.
Sparks then went into the restaurant with the worker, took about $150 out of the cash register and fled on foot.
While Sparks claimed to have been armed, prosecutors were unable to prove he had a gun and figure he probably did not, Commonwealth’s Attorney Cliff Duvall said. However, the jury still convicted on first-robbery.
Sparks testified on his own behalf during his trial, claiming he wasn’t robbing the restaurant, but was merely collecting a drug debt that was owed to him.
Under state sentencing guidelines, Sparks will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence — about 20 years — before he can be considered for parole.
Sparks was actually on parole at the time of the Subway robbery. He had previously been convicted of two counts of theft and two counts of forgery.
KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.
Local News
Subway robber gets 23 years
Charge enhanced because Sparks is a PFO
- Local News
-
-
TIM PRESTON: Karats, peaches, wings and brews, old couches and new beauty
Weekly business column from Tim Preston.
-
Come on in!
It’s time to grab a towel, some sunscreen and your shades — pools in the Tri-State are nearing their opening dates and are bound to provide some days of fun this summer.
-
Pooches take to the street in Dog Jog
They were running with the big dogs Saturday in Grayson.
-
A Smith Branch Legacy
Six generations of Robinsons have called Smith Branch home.
-
Court battle heating up over stretch of blacktop
The court fight is just heating up over a block-long stretch of blacktop in Grayson.
More parties are piling on in the lawsuit accusing Grayson of passing an illegal ordinance to take ownership of the pavement. -
Regional jails ‘a total failure’
As the debate over a proposal to create a new Northeast Regional Jail Authority continues, some officials with the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville are watching closely.
-
Beshear in West Liberty to help in tornado recovery
State legislatures and Gov. Steve Beshear gathered in West Liberty on Friday to sign three bills that will help in the recovery efforts of the tornado-stricken town.
-
Students get more than a scoop’s share
There’s nothing more refreshing than ice cream on a hot day, and no one knows that better than the principal of Hager Elementary School in Ashland.
-
2 school aides part of drug arrests
Two elementary school aides and three other people were arrested Thursday in a Carter County drug investigation.
-
5K run main attraction for Final Friday in Greenup
Greenup’s Final Friday included the usual live entertainment and car show, but a 5K run also attracted many to town Friday evening.
- More Local News Headlines
-
TIM PRESTON: Karats, peaches, wings and brews, old couches and new beauty
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
