Samuel Ray Clayton has been sentenced to ten years in prison for the October 26, 2019, armed robbery of the BP gas station on Highway 5 north of Blue Ridge.
Clayton’s sentence was the result of a plea bargain that included a total sentence of 20 years, Appalachian Judicial Circuit District Attorney B. Alison Sosebee said last week.
Clayton’s remaining ten years will be served on probation. That probation includes multiple general and special conditions, Sosebee said.
The plea agreement also calls for a $2,500 fine, $596.00 in restitution and 240 hours of community service.
The plea was entered in front of Superior Court John Worcester in Fannin County Superior Court Thursday, March 25.
Clayton pled guilty to a single charge of armed robbery. His original indictment included armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, theft by taking, criminal trespass, wearing mask to conceal identity, pointing gun or pistol at another, discharge of firearm on property of another, and discharge of gun near highway or street.
Clayton, 18 years old at the time of the crime, was accused of entering the gas station near the intersection of Highway 5 and Tom Boyd Road around 2 p.m. After looking around the store for several minutes, he pulled a mask over his face and, with a handgun, approached the clerk. He then fled north on Highway 5.
Clayton was taken into custody five days later by Fannin County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Captain Justin Turner and Investigator John Arp at a residence on Brushy Top Road off Big Buck Mountain in Gilmer County. Turner and Arp recovered the weapon along with most of the clothing believed to have been worn during the holdup.
Clayton’s address was 316 Little Holly Trail, Talking Rock, Georgia, at the time of his arrest.