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Man gets 15 years for robbing motel |
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Thursday, 26 June 2008 |
A 22-year-old Bauxite man was sentenced Wednesday to a 15-year term with the Arkansas Department of Correction after a clerk he robbed at gunpoint recognized his voice and tattoos.
Nicholas Scott Moreland, 22, appeared before Saline County Circuit Judge Grisham Phillips on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to the 2007 armed robbery at America’s Best Inn at 1221 Arkansas 5 South in Benton. He was convicted of felony aggravated robbery.
“Moreland will have to serve more than 10 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole,” Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Ken Casady explained.
An overnight clerk at the motel told Benton police on Sept. 24, 2007, that Moreland went into the motel just before midnight and asked whether she was working alone. Thirty minutes later, the clerk said, he returned and told her to “get up and give me the money and keep your hands where I can see them and don’t be pushing no buttons.”
The employee told officers that despite his disguise of a black hoodie, red bandana, green surgical gloves and sunglasses, she recognized Moreland’s voice and tattoos on his left arm.
According to the Arkansas Department of Correction, Moreland’s tattoos include the name “Nick” on the back of the lower left arm. He also has a tattoo of initials that represent “for the love of money is the root of all evil.”
The clerk also told officers that she went to school with Moreland and that he fled in a green Honda Accord, taking $204 stolen from the cash register.
After Moreland’s name and description were aired over the police radio, Moreland reportedly called 911 and said he heard police were looking for him. The call was then patched through to Benton Police Lt. Mike Kassel, who convinced Moreland to turn himself in for questioning. However, before reaching the Benton Police Department, Moreland was pulled over and taken into custody.
Shawnna Wilhelm, 18, of Conway was charged as an accomplice, police said. Saline County Deputy Prosecutor Andy Gill said Wilhelm has a July 1 court date before Phillips and that she has not yet entered a plea in the case.
A search of Moreland’s vehicle reportedly uncovered the disguise reported by the motel clerk, along with the stolen cash and a black revolver with wood grain handles. Police said they found him in possession of 8.5 grams of a substance believed to be marijuana while booking him into the county jail on Sept. 24.
Investigation revealed that Moreland had been paroled from prison less than four months earlier and parole officers initiated a revocation procedure to have him returned to the penitentiary.
“This is how the system is supposed to work,” Casady said. “The quick response and quick thinking by the Benton Police Department resulted in a speedy arrest.
“The immediate action by Blake Fogleman with probation and parole helped keep him behind bars. I also want to recognize the good work from the deputies in my office who ensured that he will stay behind bars for a long time.”
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