COLUMBUS, Ohio — A federal jury found a Columbus man guilty of committing six robberies in a period of two months in 2020.
Ronald Lee Jacobs, 46, was convicted on Monday of six counts of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, according to U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker.
Jacobs committed the six robberies at the following locations:
- Hampton Inn on South Hamilton Road on Sept. 5, 2020,
- Wing Snob on North High Street on Sept. 12, 2020
- United Dairy Farmers on North High Street on Sept. 24, 2020
- Shell Gas Station on South Hamilton Road on Sept. 30, 2020
- Wing Snob on North High Street on Oct. 8, 2020
- Walgreens on East Livingston Avenue on Oct. 12, 2020
During the robberies, Jacobs usually wore either an inside-out gray sweatshirt or a dark sweatshirt, dark pants and a blue bandana. He worked at a glue factory and had visible glue spatters on his clothing during some of the robberies. He also called off work for one robbery and left his shift to commit another one.
Jacobs was charged and arrested in November 2020. In jail calls, Jacobs discussed the firearms he used and said he committed the robberies because he was "broke" and needed to pay child support, according to Parker.
The robbery counts carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Brandishing a firearm during a crime is punishable by at least seven years.
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