CAPE CORAL, FL (December 2, 2019) – According to a news article published by www.fox4now.com, two suspects were apprehended and arrested in connection with the robbery of a liquor store in Cape Coral.  The robbery occurred on November 29, 2019, and the suspects were arrested three days later.

According to local law enforcement officials, the two suspects, a 26-year-old man and a 19-year-old man entered a Cape Coral liquor store wearing masks and carrying knives.  The two men allegedly held a knife to a victim’s neck and ordered the victim to open the register, taking approximately $2,000 in cash in addition to several bottles of liquor and a cell phone.

During a search for the two suspects, Cape Coral officers found a knife and liquor bottles in the woods.  These officers also located an identification card that belonged to one of the suspects.  After locating the two suspects, they were taken to Lee County jail in good health.  It is unclear whether the suspects will be released on bond.

The Penalties for Robbery Under Florida Law

Robbery is a crime that ranges in severity depending on the location of the robbery (home versus a place of business or public property) and the level of violence involved in the crime.  Under Florida Statute Section 812.13(1), robbery is defined as “the taking of money or other property which may be the subject of larceny from the person or custody of another, with intent to either permanently or temporarily deprive the person or the owner of the money or other property, when in the course of the taking there is the use of force, violence, assault, or putting in fear.”

If a person carries a firearm or weapon in the course of committing the robbery, he or she faces a first-degree felony, which is punishable by jail time not to exceed life in prison, but in many cases, the term is up to 30 years in jail.  If a person carries a weapon (that is not a firearm or deadly weapon) in the course of committing the robbery, he or she faces a first-degree felony with potential jail time of up to 30 years.

Under Florida Statute Section 812.13(3)(a), an act shall be deemed “in the course of committing the robbery” if it occurs “in an attempt to commit robbery or in flight after the attempt or commission.”  Additionally, an act shall be deemed “in the course of the taking” if it occurs either “prior to, contemporaneous with, or subsequent to the taking of the property and if it and the act of taking constitute a continuous series of acts or events.”

A robbery does not need to be successful or completed to be criminal.  An attempted robbery still may satisfy the requirements of a “robbery” under Florida law.  Therefore, the consequences of attempting a robbery can be just as serious as the consequences of a successful or completed robbery in terms of jail time and other penalties.