DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Daytona Beach man didn’t stick around for a Volusia County’s jury verdict in his armed robbery trial Tuesday.
- Antonio Jamal Gearing fled before jury's guilty verdict
- Gearing was out on a $75,000 bond when he took off
- Judge issued order for Gearing's arrest; he's still being sought
The jury took 90 minutes to find Antonio Jamal Gearing guilty of robbing workers at gunpoint at a Dollar General in Daytona Beach on May 21, 2018, State Attorney’s Office spokesman Spencer Stratton Hathaway said in a statement.
"The defendant, however, fled at the beginning of the jury deliberation and Judge R. Michael Hutcheson issued (an order) for his arrest," Hathaway noted.
Gearing, 29, was out on bond at the time he took off, said Volusia County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Andrew Gant. Records show his bond was $75,000.
It will be up to the State Attorney’s Office to determine what, if any, additional charges Gearing will face for fleeing.
Gearing faces at least 10 years in state prison and a maximum possible penalty of life without the possibility of parole for the armed robbery conviction, Hathaway said.
Hutcheson will sentence Gearing after he is found and taken into custody, Hathaway said.
Hathaway said Gearing pointed a firearm at the Dollar General cashier, forcing him to hand over $687.
"Witnesses described Gearing getting into a black Chevrolet Camaro. Later, Gearing was identified by an Enterprise Rent-A-Car employee returning the same car," Hathaway added.
