A man will spend eight years in prison for holding a woman at gunpoint at a Cobb County hotel and robbing her, officials announced Tuesday.
Angel Saenz, 24, pleaded guilty to armed robbery, aggravated assault, obstruction and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the 2022 attack. He also pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in a related case, the Cobb district’s attorney’s office said.
Saenz was sentenced to 15 years, with the first eight to be served in prison.
“The victim in this case still deals with lingering trauma from the defendant’s dangerous actions. This sentence is a just outcome,” said Assistant District Attorney Margaret Bennett, who prosecuted the case.
Before the victim was robbed in January 2022, authorities said she had “befriended” Saenz while walking her dog around an Extended Stay America hotel. The woman had recently moved to the area.
The victim and Saenz were talking in her room when he pulled out a gun, pointed it at her and demanded her phone, the DA’s office said. Saenz fled the scene after the robbery, but left his cellphone behind.
Using a phone at the front desk of the hotel, the victim was able to call 911 and report the incident.
Officers were able to locate Saenz’s phone and found a photo of his license. It matched the victim’s description of Saenz, who had distinctive face tattoos.
He was arrested two weeks later near a Shell gas station on Delk Road. Officials said a handgun and a bag containing heroin was also found on him at the time of his arrest.
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