An Arkansas man has recently been sentenced to 18 years and 10 months in prison for federal firearm offenses after robbing a Helena-West Helena Dollar General at gunpoint.
Nicholas Dismuke, 27, of Helena-West Helena, was sentenced for possessing a firearm following a felony conviction and brandishing a firearm during an armed robbery, a Dec. 9 U.S. Department of Justice press release said. During the 2015 robbery, Dismuke threatened a cashier and manager with a silver revolver until they opened the register. He made off with approximately $169 in cash.
“This defendant put two hardworking Arkansans in fear for their lives by robbing their workplace at gunpoint,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas Jonathan D. Ross said in the release. “The question at sentencing today was not how much jail time would be sufficient, but how soon is too soon to release this violent offender back into the community. We appreciate the work of our partners at FBI and the Arkansas State Police to keep this violent offender behind bars.”
Prosecutors presented evidence at the hearing of Dismuke being involved with five armed robberies in September 2015: “one in St. Louis, Missouri; one in Jonesboro, and three in Helena-West Helena,” the release said. He also had a criminal record including convictions for aggravated assault and attempted escape.
Dismuke had a history of violence against correctional officers including an incident that led to the death of an officer at Pine Bluff Juvenile Detention Center when Dismuke assaulted the officer during an escape attempt, the release said.
Dismuke pleaded guilty to the charges on January 15, 2020, and is expected to be imprisoned until at least 2053.
