The Selma Times-Journal

Otto “O.T.” Thompson and Terrance Jamal White will pay a hefty price for their crimes.

On Thursday, Circuit Judge Marvin Wiggins sentenced Thompson, 25, to 10 years in prison for the assault and robbery of Selma man Willie Soles, said District Attorney Michael Jackson.

A Dallas County jury convicted Thompson of the charges after a 15-minute deliberation on Feb. 14.

Selma Police arrested Thompson on Jan. 25, 2005, after Soles identified Thompson as one of his attackers.

On Jan. 21, 2005, Soles was walking on St. Phillips Street around 6:30 p.m. when a black male approached him by the name of A.D. According to reports, A.D. struck Soles in the face after Soles refused to purchase items from him.

A witness to the incident at first, Thompson walked from his yard and joined A.D., beating and kicking Soles. Thompson then went into Soles’ pants pocket and took his wallet containing $30.

Judge Wiggins also sentenced White, 21, to 20 years in prison Thursday for the armed robbery of the Big M #2 store located on 1900 Selma Ave. White pled guilty to the charge on Feb. 13.

On March 6, 2003, SPD officers were dispatched to the store after the clerk, Rickey Brown, reported White entered the store with a BB rifle and simply stated, “Give me the money.” Following a brief argument between the two men, White walked back to the cooler, removed a 12-pack of beer and fled the store.

Once he left the store, White said in a statement, “I dropped the beer somewhere, maybe behind Big M. I was riding my bike on Mulberry Road when a police officer stopped me. He took me back to Big M and the guy in the store came out and then they took me to jail.”

Officers recovered White’s BB gun as well as a knife at the time of his arrest.

Jackson said he is pleased with the turnout of both cases.

“We will continue to ship off these violent criminals. If you do the crime, you will do the time,” he said.