By Shereen Siewert
A 22-year-old Wausau man will spend four years in prison for his role in an armed robbery at a west-side apartment complex in December.
Devonte Scoles was convicted in April of armed robbery with the use of force and was sentenced July 23 after a presentencing investigation was complete.
The armed robbery happened Dec. 21 at the Rocket Apartments, formerly the Marjon Motel, 312 S. Third Ave. in Wausau.
Police say the victim called 911 from a nearby gas station after a man pointed a gun at him and took all his money. The man said he was at a friend’s apartment when two people emerged from a hiding place, held his arms around his back, pointed a gun at him and took $240 cash before pushing him out the door. The victim told police one of the suspects made comments about “putting shells” in him or killing him if he didn’t cooperate, according to court documents.
Scoles was on probation as part of a deferred sentencing agreement on an earlier armed robbery charge from 2018 when he committed the new crime, court records show. In that case, Scoles turned himself in hours after police released surveillance footage of an attempted armed robbery at BMW Fuel Mart, also known as the Clark gas station, on Third Avenue in Wausau.
On April 29, 2019 Reserve Judge Thomas Caine found Scoles guilty of attempted armed robbery but deferred judgment on the matter for two years. Scoles was ordered to spend two years on probation on misdemeanor theft charges. Had he complied with the agreement and had no new criminal charges filed against him, the attempted armed robbery charge would have been dropped. That agreement was revoked at Scoles’ sentencing hearing last week. Circuit Judge Suzanne O’Neill re-sentenced Scoles last week to four years in prison, but the sentence will be served concurrent to the sentence in the 2020 case.
Scoles will be required to spend eight years on extended supervision following his eventual release from prison.
Jacob Lo, 18, and Marcelis P. Smith, 29, are also charged in connection with the armed robbery. A pretrial conference for Smith is set for Aug. 23.
Lo, who recently requested a new attorney, remains behind bars as his case progresses. He is also facing charges in a separate sexual assault case that has not yet concluded.
