Judge Imposes Steep Prison Sentence
An 18 year prison sentence was handed down to a Kansas City man Friday. Damon Scott, 47, will serve time in the Missouri Department of Corrections for a 2009 crime which he pleaded guilty in May 2012. Scott was charged with robbery and felonious restraint in connection to an incident at a farm in Lafayette County. A second person charged in the case will face a Clay County jury in September.
Press Release from the Lafayette County Prosecutor’s Office
Damon Scott, 47, of Kansas City, was sentenced on August 17, 2012, to consecutive prison terms of thirteen years for Robbery in the second degree and five years for Felonious Restraint. Scott previously pled guilty to the charges on May 30th for crimes that took place in Lafayette County on September 19, 2009. The case was handled by Judge Larry Harman of Clay County following the defendant’s motion for change of judge and change of venue. At the sentencing, Lafayette County Prosecutor Kellie Wingate Campbell asked the Court to impose a total of twenty years in prison, citing Scott’s criminal history, the seriousness of the September 19th offenses and the lasting impact of the crimes on the victims. Three victims also attended the sentencing.
While the State argued for a lengthy prison sentence, Scott’s attorney asked the court to grant his client probation arguing that he had strong family support, had never been to prison before and had completed his previous probation successfully. He also argued that when his client was not using illegal drugs, he was an upstanding citizen capable of gainful employment. Scott also addressed the court and apologized for his conduct. As the court imposed the total of eighteen years in prison, it rejected Scott’s request for probation saying it was not appropriate in this case.
The robbery occurred on a farm just outside Bates City, but witnesses were unable to identify the two masked suspects who held farm operations employees captive as they waited for what they believed to be the ‘cash truck’ to arrive. The investigation was declared ‘cold’ in January of 2010 when leads evaporated and efforts to obtain DNA from the crime scene were unsuccessful. Over one year after the robbery, additional information was disclosed that caused investigators to re-open the investigation. The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department responded by interviewing numerous associates of the suspects.
Once investigators completed their investigation, the case was submitted to the prosecutor’s office for review. Charges were promptly filed leading to the arrests of the two suspects in Independence, Missouri, on December 11, 2010. Scott had maintained his innocence throughout the contested case until he pled guilty just before his trial date of June 4th. Court records show that the case had been delayed on multiple occasions due in part to changes in defense counsel, the defendant’s efforts to establish an alibi defense and the failure of witnesses to appear for depositions. A second suspect is scheduled for a jury trial in September, also in Clay County. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
