GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Two men were sentenced to 30 months each in federal prison for their roles in an attempted hold up at Paul Medawar Fine Jewelry in January.
Darnell Kenneth-Maurice Brown and Charles Milton Fortune had earlier pleaded guilty to robbery charges. Zackary Ian Cender also pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and will be sentenced next week.
In court documents, investigators showed the robbers using “short-handled” sledgehammers to smash display cases at the store on Plainfield Avenue. An employee shot at the robbers and they fled from the store. They were caught a short time later on I-96 near the M-6 freeway. No one was injured in the robbery.
Court documents were also presented at sentencing showing that Fortune was a changed man since the arrest and had completed several Bible courses presented by Forgotten Man Ministries. He also hand-wrote a letter to the judge asking for leniency.
