Armed robber gets 10 years; prosecutors wanted more

YOUNGSTOWN

Gerald Johnson will spend the next decade in prison for the armed robbery of an out of town truck driver, but prosecutors wanted to see him behind bars for a much longer time.

Johnson, 31, of Riverside Drive, appeared Friday before Judge Lou A. D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for sentencing on charges of aggravated robbery, felonious assault and illegal possession of a weapon. The charges stem from the robbery of a truck driver making a delivery to a Family Dollar store on Market Street in April of 2010.

Judge D’Apolito handed down a combined 10-year sentence and ordered Johnson to serve five years of parole upon his release from prison. Johnson will get credit for the 451 days he has already spent in the Mahoning County jail.

For more on this story see Saturday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.