BEAUMONT, Texas — A 35-year-old man from Silsbee will spend the next 10 years in prison after an attempted robbery outside of a Family Dollar in Beaumont left a victim injured.
Johnny Ray Jones pled guilty to aggravated robbery. If Jones had stood trial and was found guilty, he would have faced anywhere from five to 99 years or life in prison and a $10,000 fine.
(Editor's note: The above video is from a May 14, 2022 newscast about the attempted robbery.)
As a part of the plea deal, a drug possession charge was dropped. The plea deal capped Jones' punishment at 10 years and allowed Judge John Stevens to decide Jones' sentence.
Jones' attorney asked Judge Stevens to give Jones probation and not send him to prison so that he could provide for his children.
The prosecutor responded by saying that when the robbery took place, Jones stuck a gun in the victim's side creating a potentially deadly situation.
Judge John Stevens cited some of Jones' previous crimes before sentencing him to 10 years.
The attempted robbery happened on on May 13, 2022. Beaumont Police responded to the Family Dollar located at 4825 Highland Avenue, after receiving a call about a shooting victim.
Officers learned Jones had attempted to rob a 55-year-old victim who had left the Family Dollar and was at his vehicle, according to a Beaumont Police Department release.
The victim fought Jones for the gun. During the struggle, the gun discharged but did not hit Jones or the victim.
Both Jones and the victim fell to the ground, where Jones is said to have kicked the victim in the face before fleeing east bound behind the store.
Officers found the gun on the ground near the front of the store.
A K-9 unit was about to track Jones. He was found hiding behind a nearby fence.
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