Convictions For Armed Robbery

While sitting at an overlook on the Foothills Parkway last August 26th, two local college students were assaulted and robbed by Albert Reynolds and Michael Babineau, both residents of Maryville, Tennessee. Reynolds was wielding a large tire iron when the two men approached the students, demanding their personal property. Neither of the students had any money, but they surrendered their wallets and a cell phone. Reynolds then demanded that the woman take off her clothes, but she refused to do so. After a brief altercation, Reynolds and Babineau fled in the latter’s vehicle. Neither of the students was physically harmed. The two men went to a local Wal-Mart and charged over $400 in purchases to a credit card taken from one of the wallets. Meanwhile, the students, who’d noted the license number on Babineau’s vehicle, drove to Maryville Police Department and reported the incident. Supervisory ranger Steve Spanyer and special agent Jeff Carlisle investigated the crime. Along with the lead on the vehicle, video footage was obtained showing the subjects at Wal-Mart purchasing items with the stolen credit card. Babineau, who was driving his father's vehicle that night, was tentatively identified through the video footage. Following an intensive investigation, arrest warrants were issued for Babineau and Reynolds on September 1st. Search warrants were also issued for their residences. Babineau was taken into custody and confessed his role in the incident during a subsequent interview. Reynolds, who fled the area, was arrested on the warrant and unrelated charges on September 23rd by officers from the Knox County Sheriff’s Department. Reynolds was interviewed by Spanyer and Carlisle and confessed to his role in the crime. Both men pled guilty to armed robbery and assault in federal district court. At their March sentencing hearing, Reynolds, who was classified as a career criminal by federal standards, received 125 months incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release. Babineau received 24 months incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release.