A Riverdale

man pled guilty Thursday morning to the armed robbery of the Sally Beauty

Supply store at the Banks Crossing Shopping Center in Fayetteville in

December of 2001.

Deontae Trimble

testified that he entered the store, took over $600 from an employee and

then he used a stun gun to stun the employee so he could leave the scene.

Trimble also

admitted to dumping the gun down a sewer manhole at his Riverdale apartment

complex where it was later recovered by Fayetteville Police.

After accepting

Trimble's guilty plea to armed robbery, Superior Court Judge Christopher

C. Edwards sentenced Trimble to 10 years in prison.

The plea came

as attorneys were preparing to give their opening statements to the jury.

Prosecutors originally agreed to let Trimble plead to a reduced charge

and in doing so he testified that he was asleep in the backseat of his

car when the robbery occurred and he did not participate in the crime.

Trimble said

he was paid $50 for the use of his car after the incident but once he

learned of the robbery, he returned the money.

Judge Edwards

rejected that plea deal, however, saying he believed the defendant wasn't

telling the truth. Eventually, Edwards was proved right when Trimble admitted

to taking the money and "stunning" the employee with the weapon.

Trimble also

agreed to fully cooperate with prosecutors in the prosecution of any future

co-defendants in the case.

After Trimble's

guilty plea to armed robbery was accepted, Edwards allowed Trimble to

hold his son before he was led away in handcuffs.

The 10-year

prison sentence is the minimum allowed by Georgia law for armed robbery.

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