KINGWOOD — A woman’s clean record and lack of addiction helped net her probation instead of prison for robbing her own Hot Spot.
Rebecca “Becky” Davis, 46, was sentenced by Preston Circuit Judge Steve Shaffer to one-to-10 years for grand larceny and one-to-five years for conspiracy. He suspended the prison time for four years probation because she has a clean criminal history and no evidence of drug or alcohol abuse.
“This is probably one of the few, if not the only, felony case I’ve had before me … whereas drugs were not the root cause of the incident,” Shaffer said.
He also assessed Davis a $1,000 fine and court costs on each charge.
Davis was charged in the December 2016 robbery of her business, Becky’s Hot Spot, in Masontown.
Her attorney, Ed Rollo, said there really was no robbery. He said Davis, two workers at the Hot Spot and Timothy James Atwood agreed to stage the robbery because there were some, “serious financial difficulties,” at the business in part because the two workers had stolen money from the cash register.
The clerks have never been charged either for embezzlement or a part in the Hot Spot robbery.
Atwood, 29, who walked into the business and demanded the money, was initially charged with second-degree robbery. In November, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor conspiracy and was sentenced to time served while he was in jail from March until November.
Davis entered an Alford or Kennedy plea, which is when a defendant does not admit to the act, but recognizes there may be enough evidence for a jury to convict.
“I want to apologize to my family for the embarrassment,” a tearful Davis told the court. “I’m really sorry. I regret everything, and if I could take it back, I would.”
The Hot Spot reopened the day after the robbery because the clerk set aside money for that, Rollo said. Of the $14,000 taken, Rollo said, Davis paid Jackson Amusements the share it was due.
“This whole robbery thing was just supposed to be a temporary Band-Aid,” Rollo said. And that’s why there’s no restitution to be made, he added.
Atwood said he was paid $250 for his part. Rollo said he was paid $2,500. The attorney also denied rumors that Davis used the money to go on a cruise. She and her husband like to go on cruises, he said, but the one after the robbery was a gift from their son.
Assistant Prosecutor Megan Allender said, “the facts as we see them are quite different,” then as presented by Rollo.
Rollo said Davis has serious health problems and is, “100 percent dependent on her pace maker.”
