WILMINGTON — A Wilmington man was sentenced to six years in prison after he was found guilty of robbing a convenience store and beating the cashier in December.
Beginning Wednesday, Jason Reeder, 42, appeared before Clinton County Common Please Court Judge John “Tim” Rudduck facing charges of alleged felony 2 robbery, telecommunications fraud, aggravated drug possession, heroin possession, and fentanyl possession. The latter four are felony 5 charges.
Along with the six years, he will serve 10 months concurrently for the telecommunications fraud. For the drug charges, he was sentenced to another 10 months concurrent; 179 days credit was taken into account as being served.
Reeder will also have to serve a mandatory three-year post-release control.
When Rudduck asked Reeder if had anything to say, Reeder maintained his innocence.
Wilmington Police Det. Codey Juillerat said he believes justice was served. Hidden Carryout owner Dan Patel felt the same way, according to Juillerat.
Juillerat said it was a team effort to bring this case to court. He gave praise to his fellow officers who assisted him in the case, including detectives Bob Wilson and Scott Baker, and officer Connor Combs, who assisted in securing the crime scene.
He also praised prosecuting attorney Katie Wilkin for her work on the case.
Before the sentencing, Wilkin pointed out that Reeder had previously served jail time for other offenses including drug abuse and cocaine trafficking. She also cited the severity of the wounds that Carl Butts, the victim, suffered during the robbery.
“The fact that we only had one victim with nine staples and five stitches is, frankly, very fortunate,” she said. “I think it shows how extreme Mr. Reeder was willing to go in an attempt to get a couple hundred bucks and some lottery tickets.”
The charges stem from an aggravated robbery in December at the Hidden Carryout on West Main Street.
Police responded to the business around 9 p.m. on a Monday in reference to a panic alarm. According to the Wilmington Police Department, Reeder entered the business, assaulted the cashier — 63-year-old Carl Butts — by striking him the head several times and knocking him unconscious, and Reeder took money and lottery tickets.
He was arrested a few days later when the Wilmington Police-Clinton County Sheriff’s Joint SWAT team served the warrant and arrested Reeder without incident at Reeder’s residence.
Authorities said they seized evidence including lottery tickets as well as bloody clothing that was sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for analysis.
The victim, Butts, was transported to Clinton Memorial Hospital for medical treatment. During an earlier hearing in Clinton County Municipal Court, Butts testified he ended up getting five stitches and nine staples in his head.
He also testified that, although Reeder had his face covered, he was able to identify Reeder due to recognizing his voice, since Reeder came to the store frequently to play the lottery.
