A Kansas woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison following a two-day trial for robbery and armed criminal action.
Consuella Wright, 21, received the sentence in Platte County Circuit Court on Jan. 6 after a jury trial found her guilty in November of helping her cousin rob a convenience store in Dearborn.
Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “This defendant and her cohorts originally planned to rob a drug house in Jackson County. Once they determined it would be too dangerous to rob drug dealers, they came to Platte County looking for a softer target. This sentence sends a clear message that Platte County is not an easy target for those who would commit violent crimes.”
Prosecutors proved at trial that on Sept. 9, 2008 at approximately 1:00 a.m. Wright, her cousin, Brandon Goodwin, and her friends, Trenae Jones, Clint Jones and Kenneth Haley, were getting gas at the Trex Mart Convenience Store in Dearborn.
Goodwin went inside the store and as he pretended to pay for the gas, pointed a gun at the clerk and took cash from register. Goodwin then ordered the clerk to get money from the safe. Prior to leaving the store, Goodwin took the clerk’s cell phone and the cordless business phone.
The suspect vehicle was later stopped by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department following a pursuit. During the pursuit, Wright and Trenae Jones concealed the money stolen by Goodwin in their bras. The stolen money and gun were recovered during the stop.
Zahnd said, “Even after the defendant was caught red-handed after a high-speed chase with stolen money literally stuffed into her undergarments, she still refused to take any responsibility. Fortunately, a Platte County jury held her responsible and she will spend the better part of decade in prison to pay for her crimes.”
Judge Abe Shafer sentenced Wright to 10 years in prison for first degree robbery and four years for armed criminal action. He ordered those sentences to run concurrently. Wright must serve 85% of that sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
The case was investigated by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant prosecutors Chris Seufert and Justin Kalwei handled the jury trial.
Trenae Jones was sentenced to three years in prison, Clint Jones was sentenced to 8 years in prison and Haley received a two-year prison sentence. Goodwin has been determined incompetent to proceed at this time.
