Ashland Cafe Armed Robber Sentenced to 182 Years

Authorities say a Baltimore man was sentenced to 182 years in prison Monday for a series of armed robberies, including one on York Road in Cockeysville.

Paul Chance, 28, of Baltimore was convicted of three counts of robbery, conspiring to commit robbery, four counts of using a firearm in a robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a statement form the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.

During a six-day trial, evidence showed that Paul Chance, 28, of Baltimore, robbed Ashland Café on York Road in Cockeysville on March 29, 2013, according to the statement.

Chance and his partner in crime Sharmaine Diggs forced the owner of the cafe inside his business, then bound his hands with duct tape, pistol-whipped him and threatened to shoot him if he did not provide them with money, the statement said.

They took a .45 caliber weapon and $4,000 from one safe and $15,000 from another safe inside the restaurant, then made the owner go into a walk-in freezer before leaving, according to the statement.

Rather than going to trial, Diggs pleaded guilty for his part in the robbery and for attempting to rob the Ashland Cafe a second time, the statement said. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and restitution to the tune of $19,000, officials said.

The FBI reported that Diggs was apprehended May 3, 2013, after he and another individual parked near the Ashland Cafe and employees called police. Officers conducted a traffic stop and were ultimately able to obtain a warrant and connect Diggs to the previous robbery at the cafe, according to the FBI.

Officials said that Chance was found guilty in the Ashland Cafe robbery from March 29, 2013, and two other armed robberies:

• Pizza Hut on Annapolis Road in Severn; April 7, 2013
• Hobbit Liquor Store on Bowleys Lane in Baltimore; April 26, 2013

Authorities said Chance also tried to hold up the Olive Garden on Perry Hall Boulevard on April 29, 2013.

“Paul Chance will spend the rest of his life in federal prison, and many other Baltimore criminals who are caught with a gun will join him,” U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said in a statement. “The defendant’s first adult conviction was for armed robbery at age 18, and he only stopped committing armed robberies when he was behind bars.”

He faced a minimum sentence of 82 years in prison, according to the FBI.

In addition to serving his 182-year sentence, Chance must pay $19,011 in restitution, a judge ordered.