COLUMBUS, Ohio - A U.S. District Court jury has convicted Kevin Daniels, 45, of Columbus, of crimes he committed during the armed robbery of a mobile phone store in November 2021. Because of prior criminal convictions, Daniels faces at least 25 years in prison.
According to trial testimony and evidence, Daniels entered a mobile phone store on North High Street in Columbus about 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 26, 2021. He brandished a semi-automatic handgun in front of the two clerks, held them at gunpoint, and demanded they give him the phones in the safe and any cash they had in the store. After the clerks handed Daniels two bags of phones and cash, he sprayed them with chemical mace, temporarily blinding them. Daniels fled out the store’s back door and drove away.
The store clerks cleared their vision enough to call 911. Columbus Police identified the suspect’s car and arrested Daniels on the east side after a high-speed chase along neighborhood streets.
A federal grand jury indicted Daniels in December 2021, charging him with interfering with interstate commerce by robbery (the Hobbs Act), use of a firearm in a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Daniels has a prior federal firearms conviction in Columbus which means he faces a sentence of at least 25 years in prison. Daniels will be sentenced after the court conducts a pre-sentencing investigation.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the verdict reached at the conclusion of a trial before U.S. District Judge Michael Watson on March 21. Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall and Nicole Pakiz are representing the United States in this case.