NEWBERRY — Dontravious Krenshaw Wise, 21, of 726 Langford Street, Prosperity, plead guilty to the following crimes, grand larceny, burglary, armed robbery and failure to stop for blue lights. These charges will run concurrently, and he will serve 11 years as sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Grace Knie on July 11.
The City of Newberry Police Department apprehended Wise on June 27, after they say he robbed the BP Station at 1303 Wilson Road. That morning, officers responded to the BP and were told by the clerk that an African-American man, later identified as Wise, entered the store brandishing a handgun, demanding money. He then went around the counter and took money from the cash register.
Chief Roy McClurkin said the clerk was not harmed, but he did take the keys to the clerk’s vehicle. The incident was recorded on surveillance video, where investigators identified Wise, according to McClurkin.
During the course of the investigation, the investigators were conducting interviews to find where Wise hung out. McClurkin said while officers were checking on that information, they came across Wise, still in the vehicle he took from the clerk. Officers attempted to stop Wise, and a chase ensued.
Wise led officers on a chase for several miles, beginning in the West End community, past Oneal Street and onto S.C. 121. McClurkin said he wrecked the vehicle, and was taken into custody.
“Nothing rips the feelings of security and peace like a violent robbery and, without that sense of security, a community loses the very thread that holds it together,” said Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo. “Criminals like Dontravious Wise continue to rip at those threads as long as they roam the streets. We were proud to stand with law enforcement in this case to ensure that it will be a long time before Wise can threaten the security of this community again.”