Montgomery man gets 13 years in federal prison for armed robbery

A Montgomery man was sentenced to spend 13 years in federal prison for the armed robbery of a Wetumpka convenience store during which he pistol-whipped the clerk.

Roddrecius Lavelle Goldsmith, 33, was sentenced to 157 months in prison for his role in the 2023 armed robbery, said Kevin P. Davidson, acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. During the sentencing hearing, the judge also ordered that Goldsmith remain on supervised release for five years following his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

On May 23, Goldsmith pleaded guilty to interference with interstate commerce by robbery and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to court records and statements made in open court, on Jan. 20, 2023, Goldsmith entered a gas station on U.S. 231 in Wetumpka and walked to the counter. Goldsmith asked the clerk about the location of the store’s bathroom, then pulled out a handgun.

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Goldsmith forced the clerk to go with him into the restroom, where he struck her in the head with the firearm multiple times. Goldsmith then forced the clerk back to the counter and demanded money from the cash register. After retrieving about $79 from the register’s drawer, Goldsmith exited the store.

The clerk hit a panic button that magnetically locked the doors. When Goldsmith got to his vehicle, he realized he had left his car keys inside the store. Goldsmith returned to the locked gas station doors and fired a round through the glass. Goldsmith reentered the store through the shattered glass door and retrieved his keys, and left the scene.

The FBI and the Wetumpka Police Department investigated this case with assistance from the Montgomery Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery man gets 13 years in federal prison for armed robbery