A Vicksburg convicted felon will spend 60 years behind bars for an armed robbery at a Dollar General store in Florence.
Rankin County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that De’Anthony Smith, 27, has been convicted and sentenced following his guilty plea to armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In September 2023, deputies responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Dollar General on Highway 469. A store clerk and customer told authorities that a lone masked individual entered the store, displayed a firearm, threatened them, and demanded money.
Surveillance video showed Smith entering the store’s front door, grabbing and pocketing several handfuls of cash before absconding. Another witness provided law enforcement with the tag number of a suspicious vehicle parked in a nearby driveway.
A “be on the lookout” was issued for the vehicle, which led to Clinton police officers locating and stopping the car on I-20. Smith had the gun and some of the money stolen from Dollar General. The suspect had been previously convicted of aggravated robbery in October 2018 in Dallas County, Texas.
“We are grateful that the various departments and community were able to quickly and effectively capture this armed robber,” Bramlett said. “Armed robberies and other crimes perpetrated with the use of a gun will not be tolerated in Madison and Rankin Counties.”
Judge Steve Ratcliff sentenced Smith to 45 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections for the armed robbery, 10 years for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and five years for conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
