As far back as 1998, Jason Philpot — sometimes called Travis — had only drug charges, mainly in Fulton County, attached to his name.
But that changed Sept. 30, 2014 when Philpot, then 34, and an accomplice robbed two Waffle House waitresses at gunpoint and led DeKalb County police on a chase in Tucker.
On Friday, Philpot, 38, of Atlanta, was sentenced to 25 years plus eight months in prison for the crimes, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Byung “BJay” Pak. Philpot’s prison stint will be followed by three years of supervised release.
Donning a black mask and carrying an assault-style rifle, Philpot and accomplice Patrick Reese, then 29, approached the waitresses at gunpoint and demanded money from the cash registers and their personal cash, according to the release.
The two men then emptied the register, took the waitresses’ tip money and demanded access to the safe. They then forced the women to the back of the restaurant and ordered them to the ground.
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Another Waffle House employee standing outside the restaurant saw Philpot and Reese leave the scene and called 911.
Located on LaVista Road, the Waffle House is about a quarter-mile from DeKalb police headquarters, and officers arrived just as the suspected robbers were driving away, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. Philpot drove across the street before crashing into a pole in the parking lot of a Target store.
According to the release, Philpot and Reese fired 11 shots at officers as they ran from the crash scene. Police later arrested Philpot at a nearby hotel. Reese was arrested in a brush area near the hotel.
Philpot later pleaded guilty to the armed robbery but went to trial on weapons charges. He was convicted of the charges Aug. 4, 2017.
Reese was acquitted of all charges related to the Waffle House armed robbery, according to the release. However, he pleaded guilty to an armed robbery at a McDonald’s that occurred days before the Waffle House robbery. Reese was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
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