Circle K thief convicted of armed robbery and false imprisonment, sentenced to 40 years

Same store. Similar charge. Very different sentence.

Thursday afternoon, a Coffee County jury convicted Ernest Knighton, 49, of armed robbery and two counts of false imprisonment for robbing the Circle K convenience store at 101 East Baker Highway on August 17, 2022. He was sentenced to 20 years for the armed robbery conviction and 10 more for each of the false imprisonment charges for a total of 40 years. 

Knighton and one other individual robbed the store around 3 a.m. on August 17 then fled on foot. The following morning, Knighton was arrested and charged in connection with the robbery. The second suspect has never been apprehended.

Knighton also served prison time for robbing the same store in 2014. Initially charged with armed robbery and battery, Knighton eventually pled to robbery by intimidation and was given a five-year prison sentence. He finished his sentence at Clayton Transitional Center in July of 2018.