COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Columbus man who was found guilty of crimes he committed during an armed robbery of a mobile phone store is facing more than two decades in prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced 45-year-old Kevin Daniels was convicted by a jury this week.
According to testimony and evidence, Daniels entered the store on North High Street around 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 26, 2021, brandished a handgun and held two employees at gunpoint.
Daniels demanded phones from a safe and any cash they had in the store. After handing him the phones and cash, Daniels sprayed them with mace, temporarily blinding them.
He then left out the store’s back door and drove away. The employees cleared their vision enough to call 911.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the Columbus Division of Police were able to identify Daniels' vehicle and arrested him in the city’s east side after a high-speed chase along neighborhood streets.
Daniels was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2021 on charges of interfering with interstate commerce by robbery (the Hobbs Act), use of a firearm in a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Because of a prior federal firearms conviction, Daniels is facing a sentence of at least 25 years in prison. He will be sentenced after the court conducts a pre-sentencing investigation.
