State Courts

Armed robbery earns men $7, up to nine criminal charges

By Ron Sylvester

Four men could face years in prison over an armed robbery that netted them $7 in cash.

The men, ranging in age from 18 to 20, were arrested after Wichita police said four people were held at gunpoint on Dec. 12 in the 2100 block of North Broadway.

Set for preliminary hearing next week on nine criminal charges are Rodolfo Ortiz, 20; Oscar C. Ortiz, 19; Wilson J. Agosto, 19; and Rene W. Ibarra, 18.

Prosecutors said the four men pointed guns at two men and two women and demanded money. They received $7 in cash from one of the women, according to the criminal complaint.

That alone brought one charge of aggravated robbery and three counts of attempted aggravated robbery against each of the men. The minimum prison sentence they could receive for the aggravated robbery charge is 4 1/2 years.

But there’s more.

Police reports say the group also knocked out the windows out of a sport-utility vehicle and two pick-up trucks and took $20 in speakers. Add three counts of criminal damage to property and misdemeanor theft, which could bring another 12 months in jail on each count.

Two of the men, Wilson Agosto and Oscar Ortiz, also had prior convictions as juveniles, which prevented them from carrying handguns. Now, they stand charged with criminal possession of a firearm.

If convicted of all the charges, and sentences run consecutively, the men could face between 12 and 52 years in prison.

Full post as published by What the Judge Ate for Breakfast on February 19, 2009 (boomark / email).