Newville woman pleads guilty to store robbery

A Newville woman pleaded guilty on Monday to the robbery of a Dollar General store in Headland and faces a 20-year prison sentence.

Henry County District Attorney Doug Valeska said Christina Matthews, 31, of Newville, pleaded guilty to felony first-degree robbery for the incident, which happened on July 16, 2007.

Valeska said Matthews was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but she applied for probation. She will have a probation hearing on June 19 in front of Judge James Peterson. Matthews faced 10 to 99 years or life in prison for the class C felony.

Matthews pleaded guilty to the theft of $198 during the robbery, during which Valeska said she tried to disguise herself with a black wig, an eye patch and a pink night coat. Valeska said a state trooper arrested her on the same day as the robbery.