NORWICH – The man who robbed a South New Berlin gas station in January pleaded guilty in Chenango County Supreme Court Wednesday and was sentenced to five years in state prison and five years post release supervision.
Joel L. Lewis, 22 of Oxford, initially pleaded guilty to first degree robbery in court, as part of his plea agreement with the Chenango County District Attorney’s Office, but had his charge reduced to second degree robbery after he told the court the gun used in the crime was not loaded.
After pleading guilty to the first degree charge before Supreme Court Justice Kevin M. Dowd, Acting Intern Prosecutor Meredith Birdsall asked a few follow up questions in court, one of them being, “Was the gun loaded at the time of the robbery?” Lewis immediately responded “No. No it wasn’t.”
A few moments after the plea was made, District Attorney Joseph McBride, who was also in the courtroom, raised concern that the first degree charge required that the weapon be loaded. After reviewing state law in court, Dowd reduced the charged to the second degree but kept the sentence the same.
“Once you bring a weapon into the equation you’ve crossed the line and now you’re in the big leagues,” Dowd told Lewis. Dowd ordered that Lewis pay back the $169 he stole from the South New Berlin Quickway before he finished his prison sentence.
“I don’t mind the fees and other things being paid after you get out, but you’ll have to pay restitution before you’re released, either through a third party or through your wages in prison,” he said.
Defense Attorney Linden Summers said he knew Lewis from the area and had represented him in lower court on a prior occasion.
“I’ve known Mr. Lewis for some time now and I was surprised to see his name come into this matter. After he serves his time, hopefully he’ll learn from this experience and move on with his life,” he said.
A masked Lewis entered the South New Berlin convenience store and demanded money from a cashier at around 7:30 p.m. Jan. 7.
The teenage clerk, who asked not to be identified, said Lewis pointed a gun at him and demanded money.
“I asked him, ‘How can I help you?’ He had his arms inside his jacket holding something and then he pulled out a rifle and said, ‘Gimme all your money, man,’” he said.
New York State Troopers said a .35 caliber Thompson Center Contender weapon used in the robbery. When police arrested Lewis, they also uncovered several other weapons, including a switch blade, electric dart gun, electric stun gun, a gravity knife, cane sword, billy club, sand club, wrist-braced sling shot and a shrieked, and a martial arts blade designed for throwing.
The firearm used in the robbery is what led police to Lewis. Following the robbery, investigators said the weapon was sold to a third party who took the weapon to have it registered at the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff then discovered that the weapon had been stolen from a vehicle in Otsego County sometime in December.
Troopers were then able to trace the gun back to Lewis. According to police, Lewis also made oral confessions to the robbery following his arrest.