A Mississippi man pleaded guilty to armed robbery charges after holding a staff member at a local Baptist church at gunpoint.
Oscar Stevenson was sentenced to 25 years behind bars Tuesday after admitting to robbing a staff member at the First Baptist Church of Canton, according to 12 WJTV.
‘God’s About To Change Plot’: Pastor Stops Church Armed Robbery With Prayer https://t.co/ZaFsU1LI7i
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Stevenson entered the church on Jan. 24 and demanded money from a staff member he held at gunpoint, the outlet reported. The victim then fled and hid in an office.
The 35-year-old suspect was identified by police when they viewed the incident from the church’s security cameras, according to WJTV. Police say that when they arrested Stevenson, he was dressed in the same clothes he wore while committing the crime.. (RELATED: Teens In Custody In Relation To Brutal Mugging That Left Texas Woman Partially Paralyzed)
This was not Stevenson’s first experience with law enforcement, WJTV noted. He was released on bond from Canton Municipal Court for an unrelated auto burglary charge on Jan. 18 and was on parole for multiple charges through the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC), according to SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
“This is yet another example of a frequent flyer of the criminal justice system continually being granted parole and minimal bonds and being allowed to keep committing crimes,” District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said, according to the outlet. “Hopefully now that he has to serve 25 years in the custody of MDOC, plus all of his revoked parole time, he will not be able to steal and rob innocent victims.”