The first of four men arrested for January 2023 crimes of armed robbery and a home invasion received 30 years to serve in prison following his entry of a guilty plea in Jones County Superior Court last week.
Corey Termain Wallace, 24, entered his plea May 9 and received 20 years each for four counts of aggravated assault and 10 years for a fifth count of aggravated assault. Two of the 20-year sentences will run consecutively with the 10-year sentence for a total sentence of 50 years with the first 30 years served in confinement.
The remainder of the sentence may be served on probation. Wallace was represented in the plea by public defender Tom O’Donnell, and the case was prosecuted by District Attorney Wright Barksdale. The negotiated plea was accepted by Jones County Superior Court Judge Stephen Bradley.
Wallace was arrested April 20, 2023, and was indicted on the charges Aug. 7, 2023. He was indicted with codefendants Shaun and Terrell Mills and Donnie White.
The Mills brothers and Wallace were indicted for 20 counts, including armed robbery, home invasion, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in addition to the multiple charges of aggravated assault.
White was indicted for all the same charges but was not charged in the home invasion.
Terrell Mills was arrested Jan. 27, 2023, Shaun Mills eluded arrest until March 15, 2023, and Wallace was arrested April 20, 2023. White was not arrested until May 15, 2023.
Barksdale told the court in the May 9 proceeding as part of plea negotiations, the state was dismissing the first 14 counts of the charges, and Wallace was pleading guilty to the remaining counts.
He said the home invasion occurred Jan. 12, 2023, at a Jones County residence. He said the victims included an adult and two children. The armed robbery took place Jan. 21, 2023, at a convenience store in the south end of the county.
“They went to the station that has gambling machines late that night. They went in with guns and held up the people inside playing the machines and the clerk,” the prosecutor said.
He said Wallace was not like the Mills brothers, who are recidivists, which means they have numerous previous convictions. Wallace does not have a criminal history.
Barksdale said the defendant was cooperative during the first interview and helped the state’s case by telling investigators what happened. He said that and the lack of criminal history was the reason for the negotiated plea.
“Law enforcement and the victims agreed to the plea,” the prosecutor said.
Barksdale said the same group of defendants in the home invasion and armed robbery in Jones County were responsible for a murder in Bibb County.
In a February 2023 interview, Jones County Sheriff’s Office Investigator John Simmons said the Jones County armed robbery and Bibb County murder took place within two hours of each other, and the same stolen car was used in the two crimes.
Barksdale said Wallace would receive credit for the time served since his arrest and would be responsible for restitution with his codefendants.
“If this case went to trial, we could prove Wallace is guilty of the aggravated assault of the victims with a deadly weapon,” he said.
Barksdale said a condition of the negotiated plea is Wallace will testify in the trials of any of his codefendants and confirmed with the defendant that he understood that condition.
Bradley asked what Wallace’s involvement was in the crimes.
Barksdale said it is believed he was the driver in the home invasion.
“He may or may not have known Mills was going to hit the house. He implicated himself and others in the armed robbery,” he said.
The prosecutor said Wallace was at the home invasion, but he said he did not know what was going to occur. He said the defendant was told to shoot one of the victims who was escaping, but he did not.
“It’s clear the Mills brothers were the master minds. We believe Wallace and White were parties to the crimes, but neither have criminal histories,” he said.
Barksdale said it is also believed that there are a fourth and fifth person involved in the crimes.
“They have not been identified, but the investigation is still ongoing,” he said. “The Mills brothers had guns, and they were directing things.”
O’Donnell said they had been working on the plea for quite a while.
“He is not walking away free, but he will have a chance to have a life. If he was convicted of these crimes, he could get life in prison,” he said.
The judge went over the plea with Wallace and asked if the District Attorney’s account was accurate. The defendant simply said “yes.”
“Did you do what the prosecutor said you did?” Bradley asked.
“Yes, sir,” Wallace said. The judge noted that the maximum sentence for the counts the defendant was pleading guilty to was 100 years.
“I don’t think I can convey how unsettling these crimes are, but I applaud you for taking responsibility and working with law enforcement,” Bradley commented. “Good luck to you.”
