Violent Gas Station Robber Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison

Held 93-Year-Old Man Hostage

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Cecil Bailey, age 26, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to eight years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for commercial robbery.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph Riehl of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy.

According to Bailey’s plea agreement, on August 10, 2009, Bailey and his co-defendant, Robert Lanier, robbed Sunny’s Gas Station at 5901 Belair Road in Baltimore. Lanier pulled a black semi-automatic gun and demanded money from the owner. Cecil Bailey then entered the station with a gun, pointed it at the cashier and demanded money from the Lotto register. While the cashier was attempting to open the register, Bailey repeatedly struck the cashier in the face with the gun and kicked him. During this assault, the owner was pushed to the rear of the store. Lanier joined Bailey at the front of the store and both Bailey and Lanier repeatedly struck the cashier in the face while demanding money from him. The owner used his cell phone to call 911 and ran from the gas station. Bailey and Lanier stole approximately $900 from the register and escaped in a car that was parked in the parking lot.

While police searched the area with helicopters and canine units, Bailey ran to the rear of a residence in the 4300 block of Mary Avenue and forced the owner of the residence, a 93-year-old man who had been sitting on the back porch, inside the home. SWAT team officers from both the Baltimore City and Baltimore County Police Departments were called and eventually entered the residence and rescued the homeowner, who was unharmed. Bailey was arrested and officers recovered: clothing matching the description of clothing worn by the robbers, a silver BB gun, white zip-lock zip ties, black plastic trash bags, keys, and sunglasses. Also located in front of a house several doors away was a vehicle that had been rented by Bailey on July 10, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia.

On November 16, 2009, Robert Lanier was arrested in Sarasota, Florida by FBI agents. Lanier, age 28, of Essex, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charge and was sentenced on June 7, 2010, to 175 months in prison.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Debra L. Dwyer, who is prosecuting the case.