Washington man found guilty in robbery case
After a little more than two hours of deliberation Wednesday, a Washington County jury found an area man guilty of robbing a local convenience store.
Shayne C. Coffield, 24, of 247 W. Hallam Ave., was found guilty of robbery, terroristic threats, theft and simple assault after a two-day trial before Washington County Judge John F. DiSalle. Coffield was accused of robbing Isaly’s convenience store, 2400 Jefferson Ave., Washington, Jan. 21, 2013.
Coffield’s attorney, Amanda Como, continually argued Coffield did not commit the crime. She did not call any witnesses, and Coffield did not testify.
Assistant District Attorney John Friedmann called eight witnesses to testify before the jury. Two were the clerks who worked the evening of the robbery. The jury also heard a recorded statement from a woman who said Coffield told her he was going to commit the robbery. She watched him prepare for the robbery and she knew where Coffield and his co-defendant Michael Stienstraw Jr., 28, of Claysville, disposed of a bat used in the robbery.
Friedmann said the jury also was shown physical evidence and surveillance video from the night of the robbery.
The charges against Stienstraw, who is Coffield’s half-brother, were dismissed after the prosecution failed to bring him to trial within a year in the Isaly’s case and another robbery he was accused of committing with Coffield, as required by state court Rule 600.
Coffield will be sentenced at a later date. He could face a maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison for the robbery charge. Coffield was charged with a string of robberies, including the Isaly’s case, in 2013. He was acquitted in June of robbing the Uni-Mart on East Maiden Street in Washington and is accused of robbing a Four Star Pizza delivery driver. That case is still pending.
Como declined to comment after Wednesday’s verdict.
Friedmann said the outcome reflected the evidence presented in court.
Family members wept as Coffield was handcuffed and returned to the Washington County jail, where he has been held since his arrest in the spring of 2013.