A Dothan man received probation on Wednesday for the armed robbery of a Dollar General store.
Houston County Circuit Court Judge Brad Mendheim granted probation for 22-year-old James Clayton Alday. He pleaded guilty last year to a felony first-degree robbery charge, for which Mendheim sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
Dothan police investigators charged Alday with a robbery that happened at the store on West Main Street at Porter Square mall on Dec. 11, 2010.
Assistant Houston County District Attorney Kristen Shields argued against probation.
Attorney Ginger Emfinger Hicks, who represented Alday in court, said she “begged” the court for mercy during consideration for her client’s probation.
“I’ve never seen a client in all my years that deserved probation more,” Hicks said.
Mendheim granted Alday probation for a five-year period. One of the things Mendheim said he considered was how Alday had already served some time in prison in Florida, for unrelated criminal conviction. Shields said Alday had a felony larceny conviction in Florida.
Mendheim also said the fact that Alday passed a drug test Wednesday helped him make his decision.
“I’m going to give you one chance with probation,” Mendheim said.
District Attorney Doug Valeska said at an earlier court hearing that Alday was not armed during the robbery, but acted as if he was armed by holding a cell phone. He said police recovered the more than $4,000 in cash stolen during the robbery.
Valeska said Alday robbed his own sister, who was working at the store at the time of the robbery. He said she was not charged.
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