A man convicted of charges stemming from a Newton convenience store robbery last November is appealing the guilty verdict handed down by jury in July.
Matthew S. Bridges, 24, of Eldora, will appeal his guilty verdict to a higher court, according to court documents filed Monday.
The appeal, filed by Bridges’ attorney, Richard E.H. Phelps, of Mingo, came after District Judge Terry Rickers sentenced Bridges to a maximum of 35 years in prison Monday morning.
Bridges was convicted July 27 in a jury trial of one count of first-degree robbery and two counts of using a juvenile to commit the crime. Rickers issued consecutive sentences, meaning Bridges must serve 70 percent of a sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
His appeal will go directly to the Iowa Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will either accept it or send it down to the Iowa Court of Appeals.
Bridges was one of five people arrested in connection with a Nov. 4 armed robbery that occurred at a Newton Casey’s General Store. The Casey’s store, 1200 W. 18th St. S., near the Highway 14/Interstate 80 interchange, was robbed at gunpoint by Gabriel L. Crandall, who was 16 at the time of the crime.
Crandall, identified in police reports as the gunman in the robbery, agreed to a plea deal May 31 in court and has begun his 25-year maximum sentence. He was scheduled to be in court Monday for a restitution hearing, but that hearing was canceled.
Taylor D. Helton, 17, who was with Bridges and was also charged with first-degree armed robbery, has a pre-trial conference set for Sept. 19. She testified against Bridges in his recent trial.
Bridges, Crandall and Helton, all of whom are from the Eldora area, were arrested a few days after the robbery.
Crandall was identified as the gunman who entered the convenience store at gunpoint Wednesday night and left with an undisclosed amount of money. Bridges and Helton were seen in the area on a surveillance camera from a neighboring business.
Two Newton-area men, Kyle A. Edwards and Christopher S. Christensen, 22, were charged with accessory to a felony later in November following an investigation, which revealed all three robbery suspects had been at Christensen’s residence after the crime, along with Edwards.
A pre-trial conference for Christensen and Edwards is scheduled for Aug. 29.
Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com