The Clarksdale Police Department has apprehended a woman for allegedly entering a store armed with a gun and taking items early Saturday morning, but no formal charges have been filed as of Wednesday.
Police reports say officers were called to the 16000 block of Highway 61 North at 2 a.m. Sept. 4, on a report of an armed robbery of a store.
Police reports said an unnamed black female entered the business with what is being described at a long-gun –typically a shotgun or rifle – demanded items from the clerk and put the clerk in fear of their life.
Police said the woman was not in the store long and left without hurting or shooting anyone. Police reports said the female might have been under the influence of an intoxicant or controlled substance.
Authorities developed a suspect and authorities with another agency later apprehended the woman who allegedly robbed the business. She was transported to a hospital in Memphis for medical treatment and apparently was never arrested or booked at the Coahoma County Jail.
Clarksdale Police Department reports said the female’s identity “will be kept until criminal charges have been brought against her and the investigation is completed.”
Aggravated assault is defined as injury or threat to a person to make them fear for their life or assault with a weapon. It is punishable by up to 20-years in prison and a $10,000 fine. An adult who assaults a juvenile can find the penalty enhanced to 30-years in prison.
Aggravated assault is a felony and shooting into a home can also be deemed a felony if prosecutors and judges wish to pursue it.
Armed robbery is a violent felony and is among the most serious crimes in Mississippi.
Armed robbery can carry a stiffer sentence than manslaughter, aggravated DUI causing death, drug trafficking, shootings, and some forms of murder. Armed robbery can carry up to life in prison, served day-for-day, without parole.
A person can be convicted of armed robbery even if he just makes an attempt.
Armed robbery, as the name implies, requires the use of a deadly weapon in the robbery. Examples of deadly weapons can include firearms, knives, baseball bats, bricks, golf clubs, broken bottles, and even automobiles.
In Mississippi, if a person with mental health issues is incarcerated on criminal charges, they can be hospitalized for up to 30 days for treatment, during which time they will be examined to see if they are competent to stand trial.
Mississippi law says a person with a mental illness can have their trial delayed but not dropped or struck from the record. Those charged with violent crimes typically are held in custody until their mental status directs how they are to be handled by the court.
In Mississippi, during a criminal trial, mental illness may be asserted as mitigation or as a complete defense. If the judge or jury finds that a person is guilty of the offense, and was mentally ill (but not legally insane) at the time the offense was committed, the verdict can be entered as guilty but mentally ill.
