BROOKINGS – A Brookings man who robbed a person in a local convenience store parking lot earlier this year has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Ward Deverney Jr., 34, pleaded no contest in April to second-degree robbery, and he was sentenced in Brookings County Circuit Court on Tuesday.
Ward Deverney Jr. and co-defendant Douglas Deverney Sr., 32, were arrested Jan. 3, after police say the men robbed a person in the parking lot of Casey’s General Store on Eighth Street South. Police said the defendants approached men in a vehicle, demanded money, were given $40, and then went inside the convenience store to purchase beer and cigarettes with the stolen money.
A probable cause statement from Brookings Police said one of the suspects allegedly claimed to have a gun, but no weapons were found. Alcohol was reportedly a factor.
In exchange for Deverney Jr.’s plea, habitual offender information was dismissed, and the state deferred to the judge at sentencing.
At Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, defense attorney Jennifer Goldammer said this is a serious felony charge, and Ward Deverney Jr. was not trying to dispute he was there or not take responsibility by pleading no contest. He was highly intoxicated that night and simply has no memory of the incident, she said.
Goldammer said her client got drunk when he wasn’t supposed to, as he is on medication and has mental health issues. When Deverney Jr. is sober, he can function, but “when he drinks, he does horrible things,” the attorney said.
Goldammer said Deverney Jr. is not chronically drunk, but he over drinks when he does so. Her client wants to work on his sobriety, she added, requesting a suspended sentence.
Circuit Judge Dawn Elshere said she disagreed with some of Goldammer’s statements.
“You obviously have a drinking problem,” Elshere told Deverney Jr., noting that he has been through multiple inpatient treatments. The judge also said that Deverney Jr. has a history of violence and has not been successful on probation in the past.
Elshere said the robbery was a crime of violence, and the situation could have ended worse than it did. The defendant is not a candidate for probation, she added.
Elshere then sentenced Deverney Jr. to five years in the state penitentiary. Two of those years are suspended on condition that Deverney Jr. pay $116.50 in court costs, $40 in restitution to the victim, and court-appointed attorney fees. He must remain law abiding and follow the rules and regulations of the Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Deverney Jr. received credit for 142 days previously served, and he was remanded to the custody of the sheriff’s office for transport to the state penitentiary.
Second-degree robbery is a Class 4 felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
A case is still pending against Douglas Deverney Sr., who has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. A jury trial is set for July 27.
Contact Jill Fier at jfier@brookingsregister.com.
