La Plata, MD – Anthony Robert Durham, 19 of Indian Head was sentenced in Charles County Circuit Court Monday, July 27 for his role in a pair of armed robberies.
Durham was among a group of teens who participated in the robberies at the St. Charles Town Center and a Waldorf neighborhood in November of last year.
On Monday he was sentenced to four 10 year sentences and an additional 18 months. The judge suspended all but 66 months in each of the six out of 30 counts, including robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, theft of less than $1,000, and three second-degree assault charges.
Charging documents indicate Durham used a taser device in at least one of the robberies while one of his accomplices brandished a pellet gun.
Defense attorney Hammad Matin asked Judge H.J. West to consider giving his client credit for the two months he was on home detention.
While the judge gave him credit for 243 days already served, he still faces considerable jail time. Durham has been in the Charles County Detention Center since February, and that in itself was a story, since Durham originally was sentenced to home detention, but was incarcerated after he tampered with his ankle bracelet on two different occasions, the second of which dislodged the device from his person.
West said Durham will be incarcerated at Patuxent Institute in Jessup.
Charles County Assistant State’s Attorney Tiffany Campbell told West there were six victims in the case.
Dawn Ward, whose twin 15-year-old sons were victims in one of the two robberies, said she moved to Charles County from Prince George’s County to get away from the violence in the neighboring county.
“I moved here because Charles County had better schools, better neighborhoods, I wanted to give them better opportunities,” she said. “That changed Thanksgiving Day. They’re afraid to go outside now. They don’t want to live in this neighborhood because of this.
“I would rather have my children feel safe, so I am forced to sell my home and move away,” Ward said.
Durham apologized to the victims and to his family.
“It was the worst mistake of my life,” he said. “I regret it every single day I’m in jail.”
“We’re all flawed,” West told the defendant. “But when you see violent crime occurring in a neighborhood or in a mall, it’s not the type of violence I believe any community can tolerate.
“There are things you cannot do,” he said. “If you were older this would be a 10-year sentence.”
The judge also imposed three years of supervised probation and ordered that he pay more than $1,600 to the victims.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com