A local man with a lengthy criminal history who attempted to stab Walmart employees trying to stop him from shoplifting in 2017, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty in Garland County Circuit Court.
Gregory Lynn Hamilton Jr., 28, of Hot Springs, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, punishable by up to life in prison, and was sentenced to 10 years with his sentence to run concurrent with a two-year prison sentence he received out of Pike County following his conviction Dec. 10, 2018, on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance.
Prosecutors filed a motion on Sept. 5 to classify Hamilton as a habitual offender based on his convictions in 2008 for aggravated assault with a firearm and three felony drug charges, in 2009 and 2012, both for aggravated battery, all in Ouachita Parish, La., and his 2018 conviction in Pike County, which involved his arrest while out on bond from the incident in Hot Springs.
According to the probable cause affidavit on the aggravated robbery charge, on Sept. 19, 2017, around 10 a.m., Hot Springs police responded to Walmart, 1601 Albert Pike Road, regarding a robbery that had just occurred.
An employee told officers he observed a man, carrying a backpack, who was attempting to steal items from the store. He noted the man was seen holding five new release DVDs as he went about selecting other items throughout the store. After he selected two pairs of pants and three white shirts, he rolled up the DVDs inside the clothing and stuffed them in his backpack. Then the man walked toward the store's exit without paying for any of the items.
The employee approached the man about the items and he pulled a knife from his left pocket and lunged toward the employee's midsection while cursing at him. The employee was not injured and the man fled the store following the confrontation.
Detective Mark Fallis had photographs of the suspect he distributed to different media sources, asking the public's help in identifying him. Two days later, Fallis received a tip the suspect's name was Gregory Hamilton. The detective used previous arrest photographs and Facebook photos to positively identify Hamilton as the suspect and a warrant was issued.
Hamilton was arrested on Oct. 2, 2017, and pleaded not guilty to the charge on Dec. 18, 2017. He was released on a $5,000 bond on Feb. 22, 2018, and the case had been set for trial several times and continued and was postponed for over a year after Hamilton's arrest in Pike County.
Local on 12/04/2019