By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
A 42-year-old Ohio man was found guilty and faces probation for serving as a lookout during an armed robbery at the Hays Dollar General last July.
Bryan Anthony Parsley pleaded no contest Monday in Ellis County District Court and was found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery, a level seven person felony, for his role in the July 21, 2022, armed robbery of the Dollar General Store at 1208 E. 27th, Hays.
According to court documents, Parsley agreed to help Batalova Senuoke commit armed robbery. Senuoke, armed with a handgun, threatened the Dollar General employee and forced the employee to give him cash.
Ellis County Attorney Robert Anderson said during Monday’s court hearing that Parsley entered the store with Senuoke and helped check to make sure there were no children in the store.
Anderson said Parsley eventually said he did not feel comfortable and left the store, stealing a package of toilet paper.
Senuoke carried out the theft and he, along with Parsley and a third person fled the scene. They were eventually spotted by a highway patrol trooper in Oakley. They fled an attempted traffic stop on Interstate 70 at a high rate of speed before a trooper performed a tactical vehicle intervention and both vehicles rolled.
All three suspects were arrested.
As a result of Parsley’s pleading to the conspiracy to commit robbery charge, the state agreed to drop the theft charge.
Due to his criminal history, Parsley could be sentenced to between 19 and 23 months in prison for the felony conviction and can be sentenced to probation in lieu of a prison sentence.
At the time of sentencing, Parsley will have served approximately 10 months in the Ellis County jail and with good time credit could have just a few months to serve in jail.
Parsley committed the crimes while on parole in Ohio and in Kansas a special sentencing ruling allows the court to run the prison sentence consecutively with the parole sentence from out of state.
According to court documents, the state has recommended time served or probation to allow Parsley to be extradited back to Ohio to serve his sentence there.
He will remain in custody pending sentencing in May.
For his role, Senuoke faces several years in prison. He pleaded guilty earlier this month to aggravated robbery.
According to the plea agreement, Senuoke has an open case pending in Kentucky and a parole violation in Ohio.
He is expected to be sentenced to between 10 and 20 years in prison in the Kentucky case and as a result Ellis County is expected allow him to be extradited to Kentucky where he will serve out his time in both the Kansas and Kentucky case.
Under the plea agreement in Kansas, Senuoke faces approximately 120 months, or 10 years, in prison. The sentence would run concurrent with the Kentucky prison sentence.