Lima man sentenced to probation on robbery charge

LIMA — A Lima man was sentenced to three years of probation, treatment at the WORTH Center and re-entry court Friday in the Allen County Common Pleas Court on a third-degree felony charge of robbery.

Braylon Rogan, 18, pleaded guilty to the charge in August, which was reduced from a second-degree felony robbery charge.

Before sentencing, video surveillance from the convenience store Rogan tried to steal from on May 27 was played for Judge Terri Kohlrieser. Rogan could be seen getting pushed to the ground by employees trying to stop him, knocking off his shoe in the process, and when Rogan stood up again he used his shoe to strike the employees. The audio captured Rogan saying he would “pop” the employees but also that he didn’t have a gun. Rogan’s attorney, Public Defender Kenneth Sturgill, clarified Rogan meant he would hit the employees, not shoot them.

Court documents said Rogan was wearing a brown ski mask when he entered the store and put two bottles of vodka in his pocket valued at $8.78 each, which started the physical altercation with the employees.

Allen County Assistant Prosecutor Colleen Limerick mentioned during sentencing that once they learned Rogan’s age and alcohol problem, an employee said they didn’t want to see Rogan go to prison. Sturgill said Rogan previously received treatment for alcohol and had an open case of inducing panic in another county that occurred while he was a juvenile when this incident occurred.

Sturgill described Rogan as a “child who is legally defined as an adult.”

Rogan said he felt bad about the incident and regretted it. When Kohlrieser asked him what his plan was for his life, Rogan said he wanted to get his GED at Apollo Career Center, work at a fast-food restaurant and go to Coleman Health Services for counseling.

Kohlrieser warned him the situation could have been worse and one of the employees could have had a gun.

“In this day and age people shoot first and ask questions later,” Kohlrieser said.

Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.