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Martins Ferry Robber Sentenced to Three Years in Belmont County

Photo by Robert A. DeFrank Johnnie Carroll is sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday for the December robbery of a toy store in Martins Ferry which left the clerk injured.

A judge has sentenced the man who robbed the Deluxe Toy & Hobby store in Martins Ferry and assaulted the clerk last year to three years in prison.

Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Frank Fregiato imposed that sentence, the maximum allowed by law, on Johnnie Carroll, 39, of 322 Poplar Ave., Moundsville. Carroll was convicted of robbery in connection with the Dec. 15 incident.

Carroll apologized for his actions during the sentencing hearing.

Before handing down the sentence, Fregiato reviewed the facts of the case. He said Carroll struck the 61-year-old female clerk in the face, resulting in a visit to the emergency room and stitches.

“I never experienced anything as horrible as the assault by this shoplifter,” Fregiato read from the victim’s impact statement. “It left me out on the sidewalk, bloody, bruised and scratched from broken glasses and a lacerated chin that requires stitches. … (The robbery) shook me to my very core. My life has changed.”

Fregiato stressed the seriousness of the crime.

“Who in the hell do you think you are, to interrupt people’s lives like this — people’s business, people’s health, people’s safety and people’s well-being?” he said. “This court believes the crime was horrifying. This court believes this crime was terrible, and this court needs to send a message to all thieves.”

Restitution of $1,020.88 was ordered to repay the victim for her broken glasses and emergency room visit.

Also in court was Tyler Duffy, 21, of Wheeling, who received a warning from Fregiato for not following the terms of the Eastern Ohio Correction Center program.

Duffy was one of six people charged in connection with the shooting death of Gregg Thompson in Martins Ferry in November 2015.

Duffy, a driver of one of the vehicles who took no direct part in the crime, had been sentenced to three years in prison for burglary and involuntary manslaughter, but was granted early release in March.

Murder suspect David Carl Kinney, 30, of Brilliant also appeared for a hearing. Kinney is accused of fatally shooting Brad McGarry, 43, in McGarry’s Bellaire home on May 7.

Attorneys discussed the process of sharing evidence. Kinney’s next hearing is set for July 27. He is charged with murder and aggravated murder, each with a firearm specification. His trial is set for July 18.

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