Armed robbery suspect sentenced

MARQUETTE — The final of three suspects in an attempted armed robbery in Marquette was given his sentence Friday morning in Marquette County Circuit Court.

Twenty-one-year old Stephon Akins was sentenced to two to five years in prison for his involvement in an incident in which he and two others attempted to steal marijuana from a residence on Fair Avenue earlier this year. The court also recommended his enrollment in the Special Alternative Incarceration boot camp program.

“What we tried to fashion here for all three is a sentence that sends a message and a sentence that gives them a chance for redemption, recognizing that what they were trying to do was steal weed,” said Prosecuting Attorney Matt Wiese. “[They were] trying to steal marijuana. They weren’t trying to rob a liquor store.”

“I do frankly conclude that the events of that night involved a bunch of generally decent college students making a really bad decision, and the potential danger that it brought could have included a number of circumstances,” said Judge Jennifer Mazzuchi, “and as suggested by the Prosecutor, any time you’re carrying a loaded weapon into someone’s house, I mean, I think it goes without saying the potential for real and permanent damage.”

Akins’s sentence was made as part of an agreement in which he pleaded guilty to attempted breaking and entering of a building with intent. According to Wiese, Akins was the suspect who had the loaded weapon in his possession at the time of the incident.