Robbers sent to jail
Two Platte County armed robbers were sentenced to a total of 42 years in prison in separate cases heard June 14. Christopher A. Clinton, 19, of Independence, received 12 years in prison for robbing Qdoba Mexican Grill, while Matthew Renfro, 28, of Kansas City, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for robberies at a Subway and Quality Inn.
Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “More robberies are happening in Platte County for one reason: there are more places to rob. New businesses and restaurants are great attractions for legitimate shoppers but can also be attractive to criminals.”
According to Zahnd, Clinton and two other young men robbed the Qdoba Mexican Grill located the Zona Rosa shopping area at about 9:50 p.m. on August 13, 2006.
One of the robbers was armed with an assault rifle and another grabbed a large butcher knife from the kitchen. They forced a manager to open a safe and fled with about $4,000.
Police located a large cloth guitar case that used to conceal an assault rifle in the hallway where the robbers entered the building. An identification card in the guitar case included the name, address, and telephone number of a co-defendant, Andrew Krupa, 18, of Parkville.
Krupa was sentenced to 10 years in prison on April 26 after pleading guilty to his involvement in the robbery. Clinton pled guilty to first degree robbery on May 31. A third defendant, Robert Wheeler, 18, of Shawnee Mission, is scheduled to appear in court again on July 10.
According to Zahnd, Renfro and Scott Henson, 28, of Kansas City, robbed the Quality Inn located 6901 NW 83rd Street, at about 3:39 a.m. on March 14. They were wearing masks and duct taped the clerk’s hands together. Renfro brandished a crowbar and took $271 from the cash register.
Renfro and Henson locked the clerk in a pantry before fleeing the hotel.
The next day, Renfro and Henson robbed the Subway restaurant located at 6413 N. Cosby at about 10:00 p.m. Henson was armed with a crowbar and Renfro had a knife.
Renfro approached a female employee of the restaurant and ordered her to “get down.” He took a blue cash box containing about $400 and tried to pry open the cash register using the knife. Renfro then placed the knife to the female employee’s back and ordered her to open the register, which contained $104.
Renfro and Henson both pled guilty to two counts of first degree robbery. Renfro was sentenced to 15 years on each count, with the sentences to run consecutively, or back-to-back. Henson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 21.
Zahnd said, “The sentences in these cases reflect the violence that occurred during each robbery. In one, the defendants used an assault rifle. In another, a clerk was bound and locked up. And in the third, the defendant placed a knife at his victim’s back. It is fitting these defendants will spend a combined total of several decades in prison.”
Both cases were investigated by the Kansas City Police Department. They were prosecuted by First Assistant Prosecutor Mark Gibson and Assistant Prosecutor Myles Perry.
The charges against Wheeler are merely accusations, and Wheeler is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.