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2 city men sentenced in robbery
YOUNGSTOWN
Two city men got long prison terms in the armed robbery of a Wick Avenue pizza shop more than two years ago.
On Tuesday, Judge Lou A. D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court imposed a 30-year prison term on Stanley Croom, 46, of Plazaview Court, and a 16-year prison term on Jeff Shorter, 43, of Orange Avenue, in the Dec. 27, 2009, robbery of Belleria Pizza.
A jury convicted both men of aggravated robbery with a firearm specification earlier this month after a weeklong trial, and both got 10 years for the aggravated robbery and three consecutive years for the firearm specification.
The jury also convicted Croom of the attempted aggravated murder of a pizza-shop worker, who identified him as the armed robber, in connection with Croom’s attempt to hire someone to kill her. Judge D’Apolito added 11 consecutive years to Croom’s sentence for this additional crime.
Shorter, who had prior robbery and aggravated robbery convictions, drove the getaway car in the Belleria robbery, prosecutors said.
Both defendants maintained their innocence and are appealing their convictions in the pizza-shop robbery.
Croom was convicted of aggravated robbery and murder in the Dec. 24, 1982, shooting death of Delores Forgac, head coach of girls basketball and track at South High School.
Croom served more than 22 years in prison for the robbery and murder of Forgac in her driveway.
Sentences for Croom and Shorter were lengthened by three years each for being previously convicted felons with guns, and Croom drew another three consecutive years on a repeat-violent-offender specification.
The defendants, who were tried together, have spent 794 days in the county jail because Croom changed lawyers several times before deciding to represent himself, said Rebecca Doherty, an assistant county prosecutor.
Both defendants will be on parole for five years after they leave prison.