A more lenient plea agreement is offered for one of three alleged Body Armor Bandits after the judge handling the case rejected a deal for a co-defendant because it capped prison time at 28 years. Following his June 6 nix of the plea deal for Francis Allison, 59, attorneys offered Judge Billy Sipe another plea proposal Wednesday mandating a 15-year prison sentence for co-defendant Preston Milks, 26, Kingman.
Prosecutor Rod Albright contends that Milks was the least culpable of the trio who allegedly targeted businesses and residences in the Kingman area and beyond during an armed robbery spree last year. He said that Milks also has some personal history issues, including bipolar and depression disorders, that factor into plea agreement and punishment considerations.
Authorities have alleged the suspects wore dark clothes, masks and body armor and were armed when they entered homes and businesses in search of cash and valuables. In some instances home occupants or business employees were secured with zip ties, resulting in kidnapping charges for restricting their freedom of movement.
Allison, for instance, is charged in ten different cases while Milks is charged in five. The plea deal Milks accepted convicts him of three aggravated assault charges in two of the cases while dismissing a total of 23 other armed robbery, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping and misconduct involving body armor charges.
Prosecutor Rod Albright told Judge Sipe that the defendants clipped the power of a Meadview home on January 1, 2018 before Milks used zip ties to secure a male and female victim inside. He said the bandits spent two hours searching the home before fleeing with about $300 in change that was found in plastic containers.
Albright said Milks served as the point man entering with his pistol “at the ready” when the bandits robbed a Texaco along Highway 68 in Golden Valley on March 10, 2018. He said an employee who was caught off guard when accosted was directed to sit on a stool while the defendants collected cash, cigarettes and whiskey before fleeing.
When judge Sipe rejected Allison’s plea agreement he said he believed each defendant deserved a life prison sentence. Whether Sipe accepts or rejects the deal and its 15 year prison mandate for Milks will be learned at a July 12 sentencing hearing.
