Alando Johnson
A 36-year-old "serial robber" from Chattanooga was sentenced Wednesday to two consecutive life sentences followed by 80 years without parole for 2020 robberies at a Family Dollar in Dalton and a Dollar General in Manchester.
Alando Ray Johnson was convicted of armed robbery, kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony after a 45-minute jury deliberation.
Superior Court Judge Jim Wilbanks presided over the trial in Dalton, while Assistant District Attorney Christina Antalis presented the case for the state. Johnson was represented by Stewart Bratcher, of Bratcher Martin, LLP, in Rome, Ga.
Evidence showed that on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, around 9:30 p.m., Johnson and his co-defendant entered the Family Dollar at 1129 South Thornton Ave. in Dalton.
Both were wearing COVID masks, selecting items from various shelves, and brought them to the cashier’s station for check-out.
Johnson and his co-defendant left their items at the register and returned to the aisles. Shortly after, Johnson approached a clerk who was arranging greeting cards and held a gun to her hip. He took the clerk to the manager’s office, still at gunpoint, where the assistant manager was counting the money in preparation for closing.
The co-defendant joined Johnson inside the office. Johnson held both the clerk and assistant manager at gun point as he took the assistant manager’s phone and money from the safe. Johnson threatened to kill the clerk and the assistant manager if they called the police before they left. Johnson and the co-defendant left and returned to Chattanooga.
Johnson was later identified by the fingerprints collected from the Haynes tank top bag and motor oil left on the counter.
Evidence further showed that on Dec. 5, 2020, the Family Dollar robbery in Dalton was the first part of Johnson’s robbery spree that weekend. The following day, Dec. 6, 2020,
Johnson robbed a Dollar General in Manchester.
In Manchester, Johnson also held the clerk at gunpoint to access the manager’s office and steal money from the safe. Johnson was later identified in Manchester from DNA left on a hat found near the Dollar General.
At sentencing, the court heard further evidence of Johnson’s robbery spree. On Oct. 9,
following trial in Gwinnett County, Johnson was convicted of multiple counts of armed
robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony for an offence that occurred in January 2021. In Gwinnett County, Johnson was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences without parole, followed by 45 years to serve. Johnson’s sentence for his offense in the Dalton armed robbery is consecutive to his Gwinnett County case.
Johnson has additional prior felony convictions for theft in Hamilton County, aggravated burglary in Davidson County, Tn. and entering an automobile in Walker County, Ga. Johnson also has outstanding armed robbery charges in multiple jurisdictions throughout Georgia and Tennessee, including: Gordon, Fayette, Lowndes, Pulaski and Hall Counties.
Assistant DA Antalis expressed her gratitude to the jury for their time and attention to this case, and also thanked the Dalton Police Department, Bradley County Sheriff’s Office, Manchester Police Department, FBI and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for their excellent cooperation, assistance and diligence during this investigation and in preparation for trial.