One of two culprits involved in an armed robbery of a Carbondale convenience store last winter was sentenced in District Court yesterday.
19-year-old Nicholas Ameral was sentenced to 6 years in prison for robbing the Cowen Center Convenience Store at gunpoint back in February along with his cousin Benjamin Weeks. After the hold-up, when the cousins found out they were wanted by authorities, they tried to flee by leaping from a RFTA bus, leading to an intensive 2-day manhunt as officers scoured the area around Basalt.
After his arrest, Ameral cooperated with investigators, and because his cousin was the actual gunman in the incident, he agreed to plead guilty to felony aggravated robbery with an armed confederate. After his time behind bars is served, he will also have 5 years of mandatory parole.
His cousin, Benjamin Weeks, has pleaded not guilty to 4 counts of aggravated robbery, menacing with a deadly weapon, and use of a firearm during a robbery. Weeks is scheduled to go on trial in early January next year, but he is also facing murder charges in Las Vegas, so an extradition request from Nevada may impact the timeline for the Garfield County case.
