Akron Man Receives Probation for Getaway Car Role in Vape Shop RobberyAkron Man Receives Probation for Getaway Car Role in Vape Shop Robbery An Akron man has been sentenced to probation instead of prison for his involvement in a vape shop robbery last year. Background: * In June 2023, two men robbed “Lightly Toasted Glass and Vapors” in Kent, using a weapon to steal approximately $3,520 worth of cash and property. * The suspects, Jovi Romello Proctor and Quartrez Marquise Spy of Akron, fled in a car driven by Joseph KC Moore. * Brimfield police briefly detained the trio but released them due to insufficient evidence. * After further investigation, the men were identified and charged. Sentencing: * Moore was the last of the three defendants to be sentenced. * Judge John Enlow sentenced 21-year-old Moore to three years’ probation on Monday. * Proctor and Spy had previously received five to seven-year prison sentences. Mitigating Factors: * Moore’s attorney, Thomas Bauer, presented evidence of his client’s good character, including employment, enrollment in aviation school at Kent State University, and lack of prior criminal record except for one misdemeanor. * Bauer argued that Moore was an “excellent candidate” for probation. Cooperation: * Moore cooperated with the investigation and apologized to the victims and law enforcement. Probation Conditions: * The first year of Moore’s probation will be under intensive supervision. * He will be required to complete the Probationers Offered Work Empowerment Redirection (POWER) program. * Moore must hold a job or finish school. * He must pay $340 in court costs. Additional Details: * The initial charges against all three men included first-degree felony aggravated robbery and kidnapping with a firearm specification. * Moore pleaded guilty to an amended charge of third-degree felony robbery, resulting in a maximum three-year prison sentence.
An Akron man who drove a getaway car during last year’s robbery of a vape shop in Kent will receive probation instead of a prison sentence.
Retired Judge John Enlow, who replaced Portage County Judge Laurie J. Pittman, sentenced 21-year-old Joseph KC Moore to three years’ probation Monday morning.
Moore is the last of three defendants in the case to be sentenced. Jovi Romello Proctor, 26, and Quartrez Marquise Spy, 22, both also of Akron, were previously sentenced to prison.
According to Kent police, two men, later identified as Proctor and Spy, entered Lightly Toasted Glass and Vapors on North Water Street on the afternoon of June 9, 2023, and used a weapon to rob the store.
During Moore’s sentencing hearing, prosecutor Kristina Reilly said a total of about $3,520 in cash and property was stolen.
The men then left the store through the back door and fled in a car driven by a third man, identified as Moore.
Brimfield police stopped a car shortly afterward because it resembled the car used in the robbery. Kent police said there was not enough evidence at that time for Brimfield police to detain the three individuals in the vehicle, identified as Spy, Proctor and Moore, and Brimfield police were forced to release them at the scene.
However, after further investigation, the three men were identified as suspects in the robbery and charges were filed.
During Monday’s hearing, Thomas M. Bauer Jr., Moore’s attorney, said Moore is “an excellent candidate” for probation. Bauer said Moore is employed and an aviation student at Kent State University with plans to become a pilot.
He also said that KSU faculty members have expressed support for Moore, that he has cooperated while his case was pending and that, other than one misdemeanor, he has no criminal record.
“He has his life together. This is not his character,” Bauer said.
Reilly acknowledged that Moore cooperated. She did not seek a prison sentence for Moore, nor did she object to probation.
Moore apologized.
“I would like to apologize to the victims,” he said, adding that he also apologized to the Portage County and Kent police.
Enlow ordered that the first year of Moore’s probation be under intensive supervision by the court’s adult probation department.
He also ordered that Moore finish school or hold down a job, complete the court’s Probationers Offered Work Empowerment Redirection (POWER) program, and pay $340 in court costs.
A grand jury indicted all three men on charges of first-degree felony, aggravated robbery and kidnapping. The robbery charge includes a firearm specification.
According to Kent police, the kidnapping charges stem from the fact that the store clerk, the only other person in the store during the robbery, was forced to walk through the store at gunpoint while his freedom was restrained.
In a plea agreement, Moore pleaded guilty in April to an amended charge of third-degree felony robbery. The kidnapping charges and the firearm specification charges were dismissed. He faced a maximum sentence of three years in prison, according to court records.
Proctor and Spy previously pleaded guilty to the charges in the indictment in plea agreements. Both were sentenced to five to seven years in prison. They could have faced a maximum sentence of 23 to 34 years in prison, according to court records.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at [email protected].
