Just Think of the Time He Would've Got if the BB Gun Had Been Loaded

A car passenger involved in the armed robbery of a Tyler convenience store was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison.

Oliver D. Runnels, 18, was convicted of aggravated robbery by a Smith County jury Thursday after about five minutes of deliberation. He was sentenced Friday after about one hour of deliberation in 241st District Judge Jack Skeen Jr.'s court.

Kelvin Eric Patterson Jr., who was driving the car, and Runnels remained in the vehicle while Henry T. Maddox robbed the Food Fast, 1222 WSW Loop 323, with a BB gun on Aug. 5.

Lesson Learned 1: Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

Lesson Learned 2: When committing a crime in a "law and order" state, use a real gun and kill everyone you see. If you're going to get 25 years, you should get your time's worth. And you should have a better story to tell than "I wrote a note, and I sat in the car while another guy robbed the store."