An Oklahoma man who has spent much of the last 27 years in prison could be headed back after he was arrested for allegedly robbing a convenience store.
Reports say frustration with a declined food stamp card led Felma Thomas, 50, to rob the store. A clerk at a south Oklahoma City convenience store says the man attempted to buy several items with an EBT (food stamps) card. His first transaction was declined after the man entered the incorrect PIN. He tried again, entering the correct PIN, but the card was declined for insufficient funds. The clerk told police that the man stated he must have the wrong card. He left the store and returned to purchase the items, but again, the card was declined for insufficient funds.
That must have been the final straw for the man, who allegedly drew a knife and said, "Okay, I'm done b***s****ing. Give me the money. Give me the money from the drawer."
The man took money from the cash register and the clerk and left. However, police were able to identify the man as Thomas using a serial number on the EBT card and surveillance video from the convenience store. They then tracked him down at a recycling center he is known to frequent and arrested him on a complaint of robbery with a dangerous weapon. He is held in the Oklahoma County Jail on complaints of robbery with a dangerous weapon. He is held on $40,000 bond.
Thomas has spent much of the years from 1989 through 2011 in prison for crimes including burglary, forgery, possession of a stolen vehicle, and possession of contraband in a penal institution. He has been on probation since his release from prison. However, after more than four years out of prison, an act of frustration with an inability to purchase items with food stamps could send him back to prison for a very long time.
Robbery or attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon or imitation firearm is a violent felony punishable by five years to life in prison. It is an 85 percent crime requiring anyone convicted to serve a minimum of 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole. With multiple convictions in Payne County, Tillman County, Cleveland County, Pittsburg County, and Oklahoma County, it seems unlikely that a judge would show leniency in sentencing for armed robbery.
Still, the case highlights frustration faced by many people after they have been convicted of a crime and struggle to make a living outside of prison. A cycle of poverty can also lead to a cycle of crime.
