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Special prosecutor to help in Minnesota police killing case

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A city man who robbed two South Main Street businesses under threats of violence last year was sentenced Friday in Luzerne County Court to up to 20 years in state prison.</p><p>John E. Simpson, 48, of Stanton Street, entered a guilty plea on one felony count of robbery and was sentenced to serve between four and 10 years in state prison, consecutive to an additional four-to-10-year sentence on another guilty plea he entered earlier this year on the same charge.</p><p>Simpson pleaded guilty in January to charges he was behind an apparent armed robbery at a CVS Pharmacy on South Main Street on Feb. 4, 2015.</p><p>&#8220;Go behind the (expletive) register right now or I will bang you,&#8221; Simpson allegedly instructed an employee, according to the affidavit. The employee handed over an unknown amount of cash and later told police he never saw a weapon but, based on Simpson&#8217;s mannerisms, believed he had one in his pocket.</p><p>Police determined Simpson made off with $1,310.</p><p>Simpson was tracked down when another city police officer recognized him from the surveillance video and brought him in to police headquarters for a photo lineup, where one of the employees positively identified him.</p><p>Police say he robbed a Dollar General, also on South Main Street, of $1000 less than a week earlier.</p><p>In that holdup, Simpson warned an employee he had a gun and demanded she open the cash drawer, according to the affidavit. When the employee told Simpson the safe takes 10 minutes to open, Simpson allegedly said, &#8220;Don&#8217;t play with me. I&#8217;ll shoot you.&#8221;</p><p>He added on his way out: &#8220;I better have it all. I don&#8217;t want to come back for you.&#8221;</p><p>Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas gave Simpson credit for 14 months time served and ordered him to repay the businesses in the amounts stolen, court records show.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

City man who robbed South Main Street businesses gets up to 20 years