Man to be sentenced for robbery conviction

The robbery victim suffered a hairline hip fracture.

YOUNGSTOWN — A jury has found a 46-year-old man guilty of robbing a middle-aged woman of $600 in cash and her credit cards Jan. 5, 2006, as she was leaving St. Elizabeth Health Center.

Judge James C. Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court will sentence Rodric Jennings, of Delaware Avenue, at 9 a.m. Aug. 12. Jennings faces two to eight years in prison.

The eight-woman, four-man jury rendered its verdict Thursday after four hours of deliberations. The trial began Monday.

Jennings’ first trial early in 2006 resulted in a hung jury and a mistrial after eight hours of deliberations.

After visiting her hospitalized mother, the robbery victim was walking to her car, which was in a hospital parking deck, when Jennings grabbed her purse, struggled with her and ran away.

In the struggle, Jennings and the victim fell onto the icy pavement on the Park Avenue side of the hospital. The victim suffered a hairline hip fracture, but she didn’t require surgery, said Rhys Cartwright-Jones, assistant county prosecutor.

Based on the victim’s description, Jennings was arrested by hospital police two hours later near the hospital.

The victim identified Jennings in court as the man who robbed her, but Jennings denied being the robber.

The victim testified Jennings pointed his hand into her back as if he had a gun, but said she never saw a gun during the robbery; and no gun was recovered by police.

Jennings’ lawyer, Douglas Taylor, said an appeal will be filed. Jennings rejected the prosecution’s pre-trial offer to recommend probation if he would plead guilty to a reduced charge of theft.