A Georgia man who committed a string of armed robberies following his release from prison faces another 65 years behind bars after pleading guilty in federal court.
Lawrence Dominque Franklin, 36, of Griffin, was captured in Midtown late last year after trying to force a woman into her car at knifepoint, authorities said.
Police said the woman was walking to her car on 10th Street around 3 a.m. on Dec. 2 when Franklin walked up behind her, put a knife to her back and forced her into the vehicle. As he attempted to leave, Franklin was detained by several people who heard the woman scream for help and managed to hold him down until officers arrived.
Following his arrest, investigators tied Franklin to a weeklong string of armed robberies across the state, including two in Atlanta and one at a Newnan bank, AJC.com previously reported.
They also learned he had only been out of jail since July 2019 after serving nearly 11 years for armed robbery and weapons convictions in Muscogee County.
Two days before his arrest, Franklin robbed a Subway on Moreland Avenue and a Dollar Tree on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard within the span of about six hours, Atlanta police said previously.
And the day before that, Franklin attempted to hold up a Wells Fargo in Newnan by flashing a pistol in his waistband and handing the teller a note instructing her to open the safe, authorities said.
Federal prosecutors said Franklin’s crime spree began one week before his arrest when he robbed a Wells Fargo in Columbus while wearing a fluorescent construction worker vest. On Thanksgiving three days later, he robbed a Dollar General in Savannah while wearing the same vest, authorities said. In that case, he forced an employee to open the store’s safe and helped himself to more than $6,000.
“Within a matter of days, the defendant terrorized employees and customers in three communities across the state, causing havoc and instilling fear in hardworking Georgians," U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler said in a statement.
Prosecutors consolidated Franklin’s charges and he recently pleaded guilty to armed robbery, bank robbery and interference with commerce by robbery.
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