Man who used wheelchair in theft of $37,000 watch gets 6-year sentence

STAMFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut man who rolled into a jewelry store in a wheelchair, asked to see a $37,000 watch, then got up and sprinted out with the expensive timepiece has been sentenced to six years behind bars.

The Stamford Advocate reported that 37-year-old Larry Johnson was also sentenced Wednesday to eight years of probation.

The Waterbury man pleaded guilty in September to robbery, larceny and assault.

Authorities say Johnson entered a Stamford jewelry store in a wheelchair in May 2015 and asked to see a Rolex watch. Once he had the watch, he got out of the wheelchair, used pepper spray on the clerk and the security guard, and knocked the guard to the ground as he fled.

Johnson was tied to the theft by a fingerprint on the wheelchair.

Upcoming Events