COLUMBUS, Ohio – A brother-and-sister holdup team is headed to prison for the violent robbery of a Reynoldsburg jewelry store in 2012.
Darnell Harris, 26, of Canal Winchester, was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison and his sister, Mariah, was sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to tying up and pistol-whipping employees of Heins Jewelers during a takeover-style robbery in May of 2012, according to a release from the office of U.S. Attorney Carter Stewart.
They were also ordered to pay $58,519.31 in restitution to the business, the victims and the business’s insurance company.
According to court documents, Mariah Harris, 20, entered the store posing as a customer shopping for engagement rings and, when she had the attention of the two employees who were working that day, Darnell Harris walked in carrying a handgun and ordered both workers into a back room where he tied them up, Stewart’s office said.
When one of them loosened his restraints and tried to escape, Darnell “viciously” beat the employee with the gun, causing face and head injuries.
The Harisses fled the store with cash and jewelry.
Reynoldsburg and Pickerington police officers arrested Darnell Harris in March following a traffic stop in Pickerington and Mariah Harris surrendered to Reynoldsburg Police.
They pleaded guilty in September to one count of obstructing interstate commerce and Darnell Harris pleaded guilty to one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, Stewart’s office said.