COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison Friday for committing six robberies at several Columbus businesses.
According to U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker’s office, 46-year-old Ronald Lee Jacobs was convicted after a jury trial in August 2023 of six counts of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. He's now sentenced to 171 months in prison.
The robberies took place between September and October 2020. During that time, Parker’s office said Jacobs was under supervision by the State of Ohio after serving a nine-year sentence for aggravated robbery with a firearm specification.
Court documents say Jacobs committed at least six robberies at the following locations:
- Hampton Inn on South Hamilton Road on Sept. 5, 2020,
- Wing Snob on North High Street on Sept. 12, 2020,
- United Dairy Farmers on North High Street on Sept. 24, 2020,
- Shell Gas Station on South Hamilton Road on Sept. 30, 2020,
- Wing Snob on North High Street on Oct. 8, 2020, and
- Walgreens on East Livingston Avenue on Oct. 12, 2020.
During the robberies, Jacobs typically wore either an inside-out gray sweatshirt or a dark sweatshirt with dark pants and a blue bandana.
Parker’s office said he was employed at a glue factory, and during multiple robberies, he had visible glue splatters on his clothing. He reportedly called off work for one of the robberies and left during a shift to commit another one.
In jail calls, Jacobs said he committed the robberies because he was “broke” and needed to pay child support.
“There’s no excuse for committing dangerous crimes,” said Parker. “There are numerous resources available to assist individuals who are returning to our communities from periods of incarceration. In this case, we are grateful that no one was seriously harmed or killed by Jacobs’s actions and his sentence reflects the fact that bad choices often have serious consequences.”