- NEWS RELEASE -

Date: July 10, 2006

Subject: Man guilty of screwdriver armed robbery

A man who allegedly committed ten robberies in five days has been found guilty of armed robbery for using a screwdriver to rob a Kansas City gas station. Lonnie C. Bond, 24, of Kansas City, was convicted of first degree robbery and armed criminal following a July 5 trial in Platte County Circuit Court.

Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “Although the majority of these robberies occurred elsewhere, this defendant does not get a free pass for the crime he committed in Platte County.”

Two cases against Bond remain pending in Jackson County, and one is pending in Clay County. The remainder occurred in Johnson County, Ks.

Prosecutors proved at trial that Bond entered the Texaco station near 64th Street and Interstate 29 wearing a white mask and wielding a screwdriver just after 5:00 a.m. on February 8, 2003. Bond approached the store clerk, pushed the screwdriver against her stomach and demanded the money.

Bond made off with about $50. At trial, Bond’s attorney argued that using a Phillips head screwdriver was not enough to convict him of armed robbery.

Zahnd said, “The fact that this defendant used a screwdriver and only obtained a small amount of money does not diminish the fear his victim felt.”

Bond claimed he had been using crack cocaine and had only six hours of sleep in six days during his crime spree.

Bond was initially arrested and prosecuted in Kansas, where he received a total sentence of just under five years for six robberies in Johnson County. Bond faces five to 15 years in prison in Clay County on the charge of second degree robbery.

Bond faces 10 to 30 years, or life, in prison on the Platte County case. His sentencing is set for August 3.

Zahnd added, “This defendant’s attorney asked for a lesser charge based on how other jurisdictions had treated him. And it is true that most people think of guns and knives as being used in armed robberies. But when a man commits ten robberies in five days, I believe he should face the maximum possible charge even if he uses just a screwdriver.”

The case was investigated by a multi-jurisdictional task force, including the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department and several agencies in Kansas. It was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Joe Vanover.