A Marietta man was sentenced to 6 years in prison after pleading guilty to threatening workers at a Mexican restaurant with a knife and saying he'd kill the family of the officers who arrested him.
Cobb Superior Court Judge Reuben Green on Wednesday morning sentenced Dana Mark Roberts, 58, and gave him 14 years of probation along with a fine of $2,000.
Roberts pleaded guilty at the start of his trial Monday to three counts each of aggravated assault and possession of a knife during commission of a crime along with a count of terroristic threats.
Roberts came into a Mexican restaurant off of Franklin Road just as employees were closing up Aug. 17, 2014. The employees fled to back of the building and called police when Roberts threatened them with a knife. Then, Roberts sat down at a table, dropped the knife and waited for police.
"Though there were no physical injuries, what he did has a lasting effect. These three victims still work at that restaurant. Every night when they’re closing up, they wonder if someone is going to walk in and make them fear for their lives again," said prosecutor Courtney Veal. "We are dealing with a dangerous individual who is very capable of inflicting physical harm on members of this community."
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In the back of a Marietta police cruiser, recordings show Roberts "made repeated threats against the officers’ lives and also threatened to harm the officers’ families," according to the Cobb County district attorney's office.
"Though he has entered a plea in the case, he still has taken zero – ZERO – responsibility for threatening these victims and the lives of these officers,” said Veal. "Even today, he cannot admit that he made the threats that are recorded on audio and video and were played for the court."
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