Havre de Grace Rite Aid Robbers Sentenced to 29 Years

The man who bound employees at the Havre de Grace Rite Aid during a robbery nearly two years ago was sentenced to a decade in prison this week.

Rodney Smith, 51, of the 1700 block of North Pulaski Street in Baltimore, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit three armed robberies and use of a firearm to commit a violent crime, according to a report from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.

In his plea agreement, Smith admitted that he and another man robbed three businesses between September and October 2013.

Related: Havre de Grace Police Seek Two Men in Rite Aid Holdup

The Havre de Grace Rite Aid was the second robbery they committed, according to the report.

When two employees were closing the Rite Aid on Sept. 27, 2013, Smith’s accomplice pointed a loaded gun at them and forced them back into the store, the report said.

Then Smith tied them up and demanded money, the report said. Havre de Grace previously said that he used nylon zip ties.

The suspects took $3,400; several cartons of cigarettes; and one employee’s purse, according to the report.

Prior to that, the pair robbed a fast food restaurant in Rosedale, where they arrived before the business opened on Sept. 15, 2013, officials said.

Smith’s partner pointed a loaded gun at an employee who arrived to open the business, then pushed him into the store, where they tied him up and demanded money before leaving with $200, according to the report.

The two also robbed a gas station in Fredericksburg, Va., on Oct. 3, 2013, according to the Maryland district attorney. In that robbery, they forced an employee to lie on the ground in a back room while they stole $200, cartons of cigarettes and beer.

In Maryland district court on Tuesday, Smith was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

His partner—Derek Roberts, 46, of the 600 block of North Belnord Avenue in Baltimore—also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 19 years in prison.