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CLEAR Temp: 90 °F Wind: NW at 10 mph Friday, August 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 29, 2003 Siblings plead guilty in Subway restaurant robbery By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Two Trail siblings who robbed a Medford Subway sandwich shop in April will spend a total of nearly seven years in prison. Anita Marie Bennett, 21, and her brother, 16-year-old Anthony James Winsbury, each pleaded guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court Monday to a charge of conspiracy to commit second-degree robbery. On April 28, the two robbed the Subway store in the Larson Creek Shopping Center on North Phoenix Road. In exchange for Bennett’s and Winsbury’s guilty pleas, prosecutors did not charge them with second-degree robbery, a crime that requires a prison sentence of five years and 10 months under the state’s tough-on-crime law. Neither had been convicted of a crime previously. Instead, Bennett will serve three years and 10 months in prison and Winsbury will serve three years, the standard penalty according to the type of crime and the defendants’ clean records. Bennett received the harsher sentence because she masterminded the robbery and coerced her brother into committing the crime, said Beth Heckert, deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Advertisement A former employee of Subway, Bennett knew which employees at which times would have access to the store’s safe, Heckert said. She waited in the car while Winsbury committed the robbery, brandishing a pellet gun that resembled a handgun, Heckert said. Bennett was angry when Winsbury returned from the store with only $114, Heckert added. "Your brother’s coming out next, and you’re the one who got him going to prison, too," said Circuit Court Judge Ray White when Bennett apologized for the crime. In addition to reimbursing Subway, Bennett and Winsbury must pay $2,000 in compensation to the female clerk working at the time of the robbery. The woman declined to speak during the hearing but broke into tears upon leaving the courtroom. She is undergoing therapy and has not been able to return to work, Heckert said. White noted that in recent Subway robberies to come before the court — four in the past two months — the robbers netted only about $1,000 between them. "We’ve got many people going to prison for many, many years for small change," White said. "It’s just amazing that this has all happened." Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times