Wig-wearing felon sent back to prison after failed robbery at Jasper County grocery store
An ex-convict is headed back to prison after he donned a gray, curly wig to rob a Ridgeland grocery store last year.
Ronald Bruce Barnard, 59, of Hinesville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to armed robbery Wednesday and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He received credit for 326 days already spent in the Jasper County jail, bringing his sentence to just over 19 years.
Circuit Court Judge Marvin Dukes III handed down the sentence Wednesday at the Jasper County Courthouse.
The robbery began April 28, 2024, as Barnard bought a jug of water at the B&T Food Fresh Market, located on Ridgeland’s Main Street. Surveillance video showed him wearing a gray wig while standing at the checkout counter.
Barnard told the store clerk he had a gun and ordered her to “put the money in the bag,” according to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. A few seconds later, he walked around the counter and grabbed a wad of bills from the cash register before running outside.
Noticing Barnard was not actually armed, a small group of onlookers — including a store employee and Lt. Adam Thompson, an off-duty deputy from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office — chased after Barnard and tackled him in the parking lot. The group held him down until Ridgeland police arrived a few minutes later, finding the robber with about $850 in cash still in his hand.
Officers searched Barnard’s car to find a prybar and a mangled cash register that had been stolen out from a Georgia gas station, according to Assistant Solicitor James Sharpe, who prosecuted the case.
Prosecutors said Barnard’s criminal history dates back to 1984, including prior convictions of burglary, armed robbery, forgery, arson and obstruction of justice.
Hillary Futch, a public defender who represented Barnard, declined to comment on the case.
