Akron man gets prison in Kent vape store robbery; 3rd man pleads guilty
The second of three Akron men charged in the armed robbery of a Kent vape store has been sentenced, and the third awaits sentencing following a guilty plea.
Portage County Common Pleas Judge Laurie J. Pittman sentenced Quartrez Marquise Spy, 21, to five to seven years in prison on Tuesday. Jovi Romello Proctor, 25, was given an identical sentence in December.
The third man, Joseph K. C. Moore, 21, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony robbery during what was scheduled as a pretrial hearing on Tuesday. Sentencing is pending completion of a presentencing investigation by the court's adult probation department.
Kent police said two men, one with a gun, entered Lightly Toasted Glass and Vapors on North Water Street just after 3 p.m. June 9, 2023. The men took an unidentified amount of cash and some merchandise and left through the shop's rear door before fleeing in a car.
Brimfield Police reported that a short time later it stopped a car because it seemed to fit the description of the one used in the robbery. Kent Police said there was not enough evidence at the time to hold the three individuals in the vehicle. The men, identified as Spy, Proctor and Moore, were released by Brimfield Police.
However, subsequent investigation led to charges that Proctor and Spy were the two males in the store, while Moore was the car's driver.
A grand jury indicted all three men on charges of aggravated robbery and kidnapping. The robbery charge includes a firearm specification. Proctor and Spy previously pleaded guilty to these charges in plea deals.
The kidnapping charges are due to the store's clerk being forced to move around inside the store at gunpoint, police said.
The robbery charge against Moore was amended down from first-degree felony aggravated robbery, and the kidnapping charge and firearm specification were dismissed in a plea deal. He faces a maximum three-year sentence, according to court records.
Proctor and Spy were also both fined $300, with Proctor ordered to pay an additional $322 and Spy $292 in court costs within 10 years. They have an option of paying the debt off by performing community service at a rate of $10 per hour.
They had been facing maximum possible sentences of 23 to 34 years in prison plus a fine of up to $20,000.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Akron man gets prison for Kent vape store robbery
