Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced Monday that a judge has sentenced four defendants in the 2022 armed robbery of a Glendale jewelry store.
In March of 2022, four men walked into a Glendale jewelry store wearing ski masks and brandishing a weapon with the intent to commit robbery.
Nine employees and customers had their wallets and phones taken and were held hostage while the robbers put $1.5 million in jewelry and cash into pillowcases. The hostages had been threatened with a weapon and some were zip-tied.
When the police arrived, all four suspects were still in the act of robbing the store. The suspects attempted to evade arrest but were taken into custody and the jewelry was recovered. Police said last March that the suspects were facing multiple charges including nine counts each of armed robbery and aggravated assault.
While in court, each defendant pleaded guilty to one count of burglary in the first degree, a class three dangerous felony; and one count of armed robbery, a class two dangerous felony. They have been sentenced to serve between seven and 11.25 years in prison.
Defendant Gary Wayne Freeny, 27, has been sentenced to 10.5 years in prison. Monta Lamont Harris, 26, has been sentenced to 11.25 years in prison. Deandre Donte Haven, 28, has been sentenced to seven years in prison. Ray Walton Jr., 40, has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
“The victims in this case lived through terrifying moments as they feared for their lives at the hands of criminals,” Mitchell said in a prepared statement.
Reach breaking news reporter Ellie Willard at [email protected] or on Twitter @EllieWillardAZ.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 4 men sentenced for armed robbery of a Glendale jewelry store