A man who robbed the manager of the Newton County grocery store where he once worked has been convicted on multiple charges, including armed robbery, officials announced Thursday.
Jahmar Smith, 33, of Marietta, was convicted by a jury on one count of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of possessing a firearm while committing a felony, according to Newton District Attorney Randy McGinley.
Smith was accused of a robbery that took place on New Year’s Eve 2016 outside of the Ingles grocery store in Covington where he once worked, McGinley said. The manager and another employee were leaving to take the store’s morning cash deposit to the bank around 7 a.m. As they got into the car, a man wearing a ski mask and holding a pistol approached them, demanding the cash.
After the cash was handed over, the manager was able to grab his own gun inside the car, McGinley said. He fired at Smith who returned fire, but no one was hit. Smith fled the scene and was located a short time later at his house, where investigators also discovered the gun used during the robbery and recovered the stolen cash, McGinley said.
Investigators were able to quickly find Smith because one of the victims recognized his voice during the course of the robbery, McGinley said.
At the time, another former Ingles employee was arrested along with Smith, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The second suspect was indicted by a county Grand Jury on a controlled substance charge, McGinley told the AJC in an email. The second man’s case remains open so McGinley could not provide further details, and it’s not clear if he still faces charges from the 2016 robbery.
Smith has been booked into the Newton County Jail where he will await his sentencing hearing.
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