A defendant in a 2022 shoplifting case who received a lengthy sentence for his crime apologized to the citizens of Jones County after entering his guilty plea.
Robert Alexander Sanders, 54, of Albany, was sentenced to 10 years for the offense of theft by shoplifting with the first year served in confinement. The defendant will receive credit for time served from Nov. 8, 2023, and the reminder of the sentence may be served on probation.
Sanders was arrested for the offense April 18, 2022.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Cara Fiore, and Superior Court Judge Terry Massey accepted the plea.
Sanders attended the proceeding via Zoom May 16. He is currently under sentence at a state probation detention center.
Fiore styled the case stating that Gray Police Department Investigator David Simmons responded to a call about shoplifting at a local hardware store April 18, 2022. She said a Bibb County off-duty officer witnessed a suspect loading power tools in his Crown Victoria and placed him in custody.
The prosecutor said the charge was elevated to a felony because of Sanders’ prior charges and announced the plea offer of 10 years with the first year to serve and credit for time served.
Sanders immediately told the court he would like to accept the offer and enter a guilty plea.
Massey went through the colloquy, letting the defendant know of his rights. At the conclusion, the judge asked the defendant if he was guilty as charged, “Yes sir, I did it,” Sanders replied.
After pronouncing sentence, Sanders asked to speak, and Massey agreed to allow it. Sanders started by stating that, before committing the crime, he had no idea where Jones County was. “I want to apologize to the citizens of Jones County for coming into your county and committing a crime,” he stated.
Incident report
Simmons’ report said he received a call to the hardware store about a theft. He was told a Bibb County deputy had the suspect in custody. He said when he arrived, he talked the Deputy Jeff Monroe, who told him he had pulled into the parking lot and was getting out of his vehicle when he noticed the Crown Victoria parked in front of him.
He said there were two men at the vehicle with a buggy full of power tools, loading them into the car.
Monroe said one of the men drove off in the car when he saw he was a deputy. That left Sanders standing in the parking lot with the buggy full of merchandise. He said the suspect was taken into custody without incident.
Simmons said Sanders was transported to the Jones County LEC, and he obtained a warrant for theft by shoplifting.
