MITCHELL – Geno Gehl, of Mitchell, has been sentenced to serve four years in prison after robbing the Easy Come & Easy Go gas station at gunpoint and stealing the BB gun from Cabela’s.
The 18-year-old and his accomplice, John Beck, 19, robbed the Easy Come & Easy Go gas station in November 2021, when Gehl held a clerk at gunpoint as they demanded the money in the cash register. Gehl's sentence was 10 years, with six years suspended.
Police arrested the pair after finding them on the street matching the gas clerk’s descriptions. The two were taken into custody after officers found $544 in cash on one of the men and two BB air pistols that mimicked the look of real guns.
Gehl was charged with a first degree burglary, in which he pleaded guilty to.
Gehl confessed later that the attack was premeditated and his reasoning was that they needed gas money to get to Rapid City. He also confessed to holding the clerk at gunpoint and discharged the gun twice near the clerk in order to “hurry the clerk up”.
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In his sentencing appearance on Tuesday, Gehl claimed his bad state of mind led him down an unfortunate path and he hopes to get the help he needs to improve his mental health status.
He also informed the court of his use of meth.
Judge Giles, however, expressed his concerns over how young Gehl is and the fact that he’s already committing violent crimes.
“I appreciate that you’re acknowledging that you had a mental health problem and drug problems,” Judge Giles said Tuesday. “However, the fact that this was premeditated is still concerning to the court.”
The judge sentenced Gehl to four years in prison with credit of 223 days served, a year less than Beck.
“You are young and I’m hopeful that you can use this as an opportunity to seek the help you need,” Judge Giles said after giving Gehl's sentence.
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