A 41-year-old man with more than two decades of prior convictions will spend 30 years in prison for robbing a Woodlands-area grocery store manager and dragging her into a safety bollard outside the store.

James Lawrence Carey II received the sentence Tuesday, July 28, from Judge Kathleen Hamilton of the 359th District Court, one day after a Montgomery County jury found him guilty of robbery. Assistant District Attorneys Levi Camden and Mary Garcia prosecuted the case.

The robbery itself involved about $80 worth of unpaid groceries.

According to Montgomery County Police Reporter, evidence at trial showed Carey attempted to leave the Fruitlandia grocery store without paying. Store manager Ellen Patillo, 62, grabbed the shopping basket. Carey refused to let go and used force to escape, dragging Patillo out of the store with the basket still between them. As he fled, Patillo struck a safety bollard and sustained injuries to her head, arm and knees.

Carey ran into a nearby apartment complex, where officers found him hiding on a stranger's patio.

Criminal history

During the punishment phase, prosecutors presented Carey's criminal record to the jury. His prior convictions included Assault on a Public Servant for biting a detention officer and Retaliation for threatening to murder a detention officer. The court also heard that Carey had faced a similar robbery charge in Harris County that was ultimately reduced to misdemeanor theft.

Even while awaiting trial in this case, Carey picked up an additional charge of Attempted Assault on a Public Servant after allegedly swinging through his jail cell bars at a detention officer.

Under Texas law, robbery is normally a second-degree felony carrying two to 20 years. But with multiple prior felony convictions, the punishment range jumps to 25 years to life under the state's habitual offender statute.

"The moment Mr. Carey chose violence, this case stopped being about stolen groceries and became about protecting innocent people," ADA Camden said in a statement from the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. "The evidence showed a repeated pattern of violent behavior and a complete disregard for the safety of others."

District Attorney Mike Holley said anyone who chooses violence against innocent people in Montgomery County can expect consequences from law enforcement and his office.