BROOKLYN MAN CONVICTED OF ROBBING 19 YEAR OLD PREGNANT JAMAICA RESIDENT

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a Brooklyn resident was found guilty in the robbery of a 19 year old pregnant woman from Jamaica.

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Dave Jones, 37, of 1414 Bergen Street, Brooklyn. He was found guilty of robbery in the first degree after a one week jury trial before Supreme Court Justice Joseph Rosenzweig. Jones will be sentenced on September 10th and as a persistent felon faces 20 years to life in prison.

District Attorney Brown stated, "This was a shocking crime as the defendant held a gun to the victim's stomach, knowing she was pregnant, and disregarded her pleas not to hurt her or her baby. At the time of his arrest, the defendant had two prior violent felony convictions and was out on parole for another gunpoint robbery."

According to the court testimony, on October 10,1997, at approximately 4:00 P.M., the 19 year old victim was walking along 163rd Street and Jamaica Avenue when she was approached by the defendant who held a gun to her stomach and forced her to cross Jamaica Avenue and into an alleyway on 163rd Street where he robbed her of some jewelry and $60. He then told her to face the wall and fled. The victim walked to 165th Street where there is a police training center and gave a description of the defendant to the officers. They took her around the neighborhood in a squad car and she spotted the defendant who was arrested about 35 minutes after committing the crime.

Assistant District Attorney Laurie B. Neustadt of the District Attorney's Kew Gardens III Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Robert J. Masters, Bureau Chief, prosecuted the case.