Columbus man sentenced to 10 years in prison for armed robbery

A Columbus man was sentenced in U.S. District Court this month to 120 months, or 10 years, in prison for a January 2019 armed robbery.

Michael John Smith, 29, of Columbus, pointed a pistol at two clerks at a store on Hall Road in Columbus on Jan. 27, 2019. Smith demanded money from the register and threatened to kill both women if they moved. Smith fled the store on foot with $280 in cash.

According to court documents, Smith was also involved in another armed robbery in March 2019 at a separate store. The same gun used in both robberies was recovered in a car that was involved in a shooting on the highway near Circleville that same month. Smith and several individuals – including a 1-year-old child – had been in the vehicle on the highway.

In its sentencing memorandum, the United States noted Smith’s extensive criminal history with multiple convictions beginning in 2014. In prior crimes, Smith shot two individuals in the head.

“While all threats of violence should be taken seriously, there is an elevated sense of danger inherent in someone who brandishes a gun and threatens to kill people, and whose past actions demonstrate no reluctance in pulling the trigger,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “A significant term of imprisonment is warranted in this case.”

Smith was charged by criminal complaint and arrested in January 2019. He pleaded guilty in March 2023 to committing robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Fairfield County Sheriff Alex Lape; and Col. Charles A. Jones, Superintendent, Ohio State Highway Patrol announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Pakiz is representing the United States in this case.