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Woman gets probation for 2012 robbery
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A Redondo Road woman was given three years’ probation in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for her role in a 2012 robbery.
Keiante Mackie, 20, burst into tears as Judge John Durkin announced the sentence Thursday.
The sentence came after her attorney, James Gentile, made an argument for probation, saying she has no criminal record, was only in trouble the one time and has not only kept out of trouble since her arrest but actually has bettered herself.
Mackie pleaded guilty in September to charges of aggravated robbery and kidnapping, both first-degree felonies; and felonious assault, a second-degree felony. In exchange for her pleas, prosecutors agreed to drop a specification that a firearm was used to commit the crimes.
A firearm specification carries an automatic prison sentence, but because the specification was dropped, Mackie was eligible for probation.
Mackie was arrested with Brandon Kennedy, 21, of Lexington Avenue, and Ishmael Bethel, 19, of Hudson Avenue, in a shooting Nov. 3, 2012.
Police were called to the 3000 block of Canfield Road, where they found a man with a bullet wound in his leg. The man told police he was at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles office when he received a call from a man to buy marijuana, and they agreed to meet at a Mahoning Avenue restaurant.
The man who was shot said a car pulled up to the restaurant and was driven by a woman with two men inside. Reports said both men were armed and wanted all of the victim’s “stuff.” When the victim said he did not have the marijuana with him, the men demanded all his money, but the victim told them that the money and drugs were at his house.
One of the armed men forced the victim back into his car and drove to the victim’s Canfield Road home, followed by the car they had driven to the restaurant.
The armed man holding the victim hostage, once at the house, turned to look at his accomplices in the other car, and the victim attempted to run away.
The armed man fired three shots at the victim, hitting him once in the upper thigh.
Kennedy and Bethel have pleaded guilty for their role in the crimes, and both are serving prison sentences. Mackie was the driver of the car.
One of Mackie’s supervisors from her job at a call center told Judge Durkin she already has been promoted once in her nine months on the job and is in line for another promotion. He said she is a good candidate to advance as far as she wants to at the company.
She works a total of 67 hours a week at two jobs and attends Eastern Gateway Community College, where she is enrolled in the nursing program, and she got two A’s and a B during her last grading period while working there.
Judge Durkin said it appears Mackie has learned her lesson because of the way she has acted while waiting to be sentenced. He also ordered her to perform 200 hours of community service.