A 42-year-old Alcolu woman was sentenced Monday to a year in prison after pleading guilty for her role in a January 2013 bank robbery.
Virginia Irene Blackmon had initially pleaded guilty to accessory before the fact for authoring a hold-up note used by her husband, Andrew Lee Blackmon, who handed the note to a Bank of Clarendon teller Jan. 25, 2013.
On Monday, Assistant Solicitor Chris DuRant told 3rd Circuit Court Judge Ferrell Cothran that Andrew Blackmon told the teller he wasn't joking and demanded "all your money."
The Blackmons fled to a local motel and were later arrested by the Manning Police Department.
"She admitted she had written a note used in the robbery earlier that morning," DuRant said. She had no prior police record, he said, and the $2,400 stolen was recovered at the motel.
Dressed in a dirty and oversized University of South Carolina hoodie and rolled-up jeans, Virginia Blackmon seemed not to understand the ramifications of her plea. Judge Cothran explained she was pleading to a serious felony that wouldn't allow for parole and required she serve 85 percent of her sentence.
Public Defender Scott Robinson said she had already served "considerable time in county jail," and later explained she had hearing issues.
After a conference in chambers, she changed her plea to accessory after the fact and was given eight years suspended to one year, with 18 months of probation and credit for time-served.
Records show Andrew Lee Blackmon, 44, is currently serving a 15-year sentence for a charge of armed robbery, which he pleaded guilty to last year.
