Ridgeland man sentenced to 20 years in armed robbery

A Ridgeland man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday after a jury found him guilty of robbing a woman at knifepoint outside a Jasper County bank.

Archie Whitfield, 60, was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles after the jury took just 13 minutes to convict him of armed robbery and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to a 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office news release.

Whitfield robbed the woman Jan. 5 as she stood outside the South State Bank ATM on Jacob Smart Boulevard in Ridgeland, the release said.

The woman told law enforcement she was robbed of $120 by a man wearing a gray sweatshirt and jeans and holding a butcher’s knife .

Ridgeland Police quickly found Whitfield hiding behind a nearby tree and caught him after a brief foot chase.

The stolen money was found in Whitfield’s pocket and he was identified by the victim, the release said.

“Mr. Whitfield has a lengthy criminal record from both South Carolina and Georgia,” assistant prosecutor Patrick Hall said. “Mr. Whitfield is going back where he belongs.”

Whitfield has convictions dating back to 1978, the release said.

This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Ridgeland man sentenced to 20 years in armed robbery."