For 2012 Robbery at Deanwood Metro Station-Defendant Also Sentenced to Nine Months in Prison in Case Involving Stolen Car-
WASHINGTON - Zachary Pollard, 18, of Washington D.C., has been sentenced to two years in prison on a robbery charge stemming from an attack last year at the Deanwood Metro station in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.
Pollard was found guilty in April 2013 following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Heidi M. Pasichow sentenced him on June 11, 2013 to a total of 51 months in prison, but suspended all but 24 months of the prison time. Upon completion of his prison term, Pollard will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, Pollard and an unidentified accomplice approached the victim at about 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 18, 2012 near the Metro station, in the 4700 block of Polk Street NE. Pollard, standing in front of the victim, pulled out a gun and pointed it in the man’s face while the accomplice threw the victim to the ground. Pollard then rifled through the victim’s pockets and took the victim’s wallet, which contained credit cards and $11. The victim reported the crime to the station manager, who called Metro Transit Police.
Less than 10 minutes later and about a half mile from the Deanwood station, a Metro Transit Police officer spotted Pollard, who matched the description given for a police lookout. The officer stopped Pollard, who was eating a fast-food apple pie. Minutes later, as other officers arrived on the scene and without having been told what had been taken in the robbery or the reason why he had been stopped, Pollard spontaneously stated, “Man, I didn’t rob nobody for no $11." Officers recovered $9 in cash from the defendant.
At the time of the crime, Pollard was free on personal recognizance while awaiting trial for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and other charges. According to the government’s evidence, Pollard was caught on Oct. 14, 2012 in a car in Southeast Washington less than a day after it was stolen. When police officers tried to stop him after he went through a red light in the car, he floored the gas and took off. The car ultimately crashed into the curb, damaging the front wheel. Pollard then got out of the car and fled on foot before he was finally caught.
Pollard pled guilty in that case to charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property, and destruction of property. He was sentenced on June 11, 2013 to serve nine months of incarceration on those charges, to run consecutively to the sentence in the robbery case. He also was ordered to pay $1,945 in restitution to the victim.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the detective, officers, and mobile crime scene officers from the Metro Transit Police Department who investigated the robbery case, as well as the officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who investigated the case involving the stolen car.
He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the matters for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Antoinette Sakamsa and Theresa Nelson, and Victim Advocate Kristina Rose. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas, who prosecuted the robbery case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Natiello, who prosecuted the case involving the stolen car.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
