ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A man has been sentenced after he robbed an Ann Arbor cellphone store in broad daylight and told the workers to “have a blessed day” on his way out, officials said.
The robbery happened Oct. 10, 2022, at the T-Mobile store in Downtown Ann Arbor, according to authorities.
Deon Bell, 27, of Detroit, is accused of pulling out “what appeared to be a gun” and demanding two employees take him to the store’s safe. He stole about $9,000 worth of smartphones and smartwatches and took $381 from the register, police said.
As he left the store, Bell told the workers to “have a blessed day,” officials said.
The workers had given Bell a decoy phone that allowed police to track him from the store to the place where he resold the phones and watches, federal authorities said.
A federal judge sentenced him Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, to eight and a half years in prison.
“Violence has no place in our community,” United States Attorney Dawn Ison said. “Pulling a gun on people just trying to make a living is a cowardly act, and our office is committed to taking dangerous people off the streets.”
