News and Press Releases
Fridley man pleads guilty to armed robbery of Columbia Heights convenience store
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2012
MINNEAPOLIS – Earlier today in federal court, a 35-year-old Fridley man pleaded guilty
to using a .38-caliber pistol on March 11, 2011 to rob the Totem Superette in Columbia Heights.
Jimmy Earl Matthews pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm during and in
relation to a crime of violence. Matthews, who was indicted on May 11, 2011, entered his plea
before United States District Court Judge Joan N. Ericksen.
In his plea agreement, Matthews admitted that on March 11, he and another individual
drove to the store in Matthews’s car. While the other person remained in the car, Matthews
admittedly entered the store, concealed his face with a blue bandanna, brandished the gun at the
clerk, and demanded money. After receiving cash, Matthews fled, attempting to return to his car.
However, Matthews encountered the police, dropped the gun behind his car, and ran, ultimately
attempting to hide the cash in a snow bank. Following a short pursuit, Matthews was
apprehended. Officers recovered the gun, the bandanna, and approximately $146.
For his crime, Matthews faces a mandatory minimum penalty of seven years in prison, with
a potential maximum penalty of life in prison. Judge Ericksen will determine his sentence at a
future hearing.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Columbia Heights Police Department, the
Fridley Police Department, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,
with assistance from the Anoka County Crime Lab. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant
U.S. Attorney Carol M. Kayser.
