Man sentenced to 10 years in prison for store robbery
A Hot Springs man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to robbing a local convenience store at gunpoint last year.
Rahnzell Evytea Rahn, 20, who has remained in custody on zero bond since his arrest Oct. 17, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to one count of aggravated robbery and was sentenced to 10 years in prison with court costs and fines expunged for time served.
Rahn, who was set to stand trial today, could have faced up to life in prison on the charge. An additional misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, was adjudicated by time served and he will be given credit for his jail time.
Rahn had an accomplice in the robbery, but the second male involved was never located or arrested.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Oct. 9, 2018, shortly after 7 p.m., Hot Springs police Detective Scott Lampinen and other officers responded to a robbery that had just occurred at the E-Z Mart Store, 505 Summer St. The clerk, 61, stated two black males had entered the store and one brandished a handgun and pointed it at her head.
She said the second suspect stood by as the one with the gun demanded the money in the register and some cigarillos. The suspects then fled the store after receiving $50 in cash and 12 packs of cigarillos valued at $19.56.
A store manager, 35, responded to the scene and pulled up security video of the incident. As he was playing it back, the manager noted he “instantly recognized” the second suspect as a regular customer who “comes in all the time” with his mother.
A short time later, another store manager arrived and also recognized the suspect and stated he was in the store earlier that day. They located the video footage of the suspect’s previous visit to the store and Lampinen obtained a still photo of him.
The managers did not know the name of the suspect or his mother, but another store clerk told police the suspect and his mother lived at the apartments at 600 Sixth St. and described the car his mother drove.
Lampinen went to the apartments and located the vehicle she had described. A check of the registration showed it returned to a woman identified as Rahn’s mother.
A check of local reports revealed a recent involvement police
had with the mother at that address and her son, Rahn, was listed as a witness. There were no photos of Rahn, who according to court records has no prior criminal history, in the Arkansas Crime Information Center computer, but Lampinen located several Facebook profiles Rahn had and was reportedly able to positively identify him as the second suspect in the robbery.
A warrant for Rahn’s arrest was issued Oct. 16 and around
1:30 p.m. the next day, Officer
1st Class Brent Scrimshire spotted Rahn standing in the street in front of 600 Sixth St. and made contact with him. Once the officer had confirmed the robbery warrant he took him into custody.
During a search of Rahn, Scrimshire located a plastic baggie containing 5.6 grams of marijuana resulting in the additional misdemeanor charge.
Rahn had pleaded not guilty to the charges on Dec. 17 and his case had been continued several times before being set for trial today.