News and Press Releases
Fridley man sentenced for armed robbery of Columbia Heights convenience store
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2012
MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 36-year-old Fridley man was sentenced
for using a .38-caliber pistol on March 11, 2011, to rob the Totem Superette in Columbia
Heights. United States District Court Judge Joan N. Ericksen sentenced Jimmy Earl Matthews
to 262 months in federal prison on one count of possession of a firearm during and in relation to
a crime of violence. Matthews, who was indicted on May 11, 2011, pleaded guilty on March
30, 2012.
In his plea agreement, Matthews admitted that on March 11, 2011, he and another
individual drove to the store in Matthews’s car. While the other person remained in the car,
Matthews entered the store, concealed his face with a blue bandana, 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 bandana, and approximately $146.
This case was 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 was prosecuted by Assistant U.S.
Attorney Carol M. Kayser.
