Man accused of holding man at gunpoint in Boardman hotel room pleads guilty

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — A man accused of holding a person at gunpoint in a Boardman hotel in 2020 and later shooting at a car pleaded guilty Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to three charges.

Richard Armstrong , 46, entered pleas before Judge Anthony D’Apolito, a second-degree felony; robbery, a second-degree felony; and being a felon in possession of a firearm, a third-degree felony.

In addition, Armstrong also pleaded guilty to a firearm specification.

Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of six to seven and a half years in prison, however, Judge D’Apolito said he will sentence Armstrong to five years after Armstrong made the proposal in an effort to resolve his case.

Armstrong has been in the county jail since he was arrested in the case in August 2020. It is expected he will be released from prison next August.

One reason the case has taken so long is because of competency issues on Armstrong’s part.

Armstrong was arrested on Aug. 17, 2020, after he was seen walking with a gun in the 5300 block of South Avenue shortly after someone took a shot at a pickup truck in broad daylight. He was also a suspect in an armed robbery at a nearby hotel several hours earlier.

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