A Sicklerville man pleaded guilty Friday in connection with a 2013 robbery of a Wendy's restaurant in Woodbury Heights, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.
WOODBURY -- A Sicklerville man pleaded guilty Friday in connection with a 2013 armed robbery of a Wendy's restaurant in Woodbury Heights, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.
Marvis O. Jones, 29, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery by threat, admitting in court that he threatened employees with bodily harm and carried a firearm during the crime.
Jones testified that he agreed with co-defendant Erica Albert, 29, of Clayton, a shift manager at the Wendy's, to rob the establishment, according to prosecutors. Albert was not aware that Jones had a gun until the robbery began, Jones admitted.
Investigators quickly determined the case wasn't a simple robbery.
After the restaurant had closed for the evening on Nov. 24, 2013, Jones shot out a window and entered the business, according to previous accounts from the prosecutor's office.
Once inside, he told "terrified" employees, "I know you've got four (cash) tills," prosecutors said, noting that Jones also knew there were several panic buttons that could be pressed for emergencies.
Albert also aroused suspicions, authorities said, when she allegedly claimed the robber had thrown her on a just-washed floor. The floor was still wet, but Albert's clothing was not, investigators observed.
"It was an inside job," Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Enos told a judge in 2014.
Jones was arrested in Virginia in March 2014 and extradited to New Jersey.
As part of a negotiated plea deal, Assistant Prosecutor Tiffany Degrandmaison will recommend eight years in prison with a requirement that Jones serve 85 percent of his term before he is eligible for parole.
Jones remains jailed on $200,000 bail pending sentencing.
Albert was arrested in February 2014 following an investigation by the prosecutor's office and Woodbury Heights police. She is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery and theft. She is free on $50,000 bail.
Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
