DA Warren Montgomery reports that last week 26 YO Daniel Martinez of Florida was found guilty as charged of one count of armed robbery with a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with a robbery that took place in Mandeville.
On June 20, 2021, STPSO responded to a 911 call from a gas station in Mandeville. The store clerk stated that a man in a white Honda Pilot parked and entered the store near closing time and asked for a pack of cigarettes. The man then pulled out a firearm and demanded the victim open the cash register and put cash in his bag. After the victim complied, the perpetrator demanded he get down on the floor.
The victim stayed on the floor until the perpetrator left and then crawled to the manager’s office to call 911. The victim was able to describe the perpetrator. Detectives were able to get a partial license plate number from surveillance cameras across the street. Through use of a law enforcement database, the detectives were able to develop the entire Texas license plate number and learned the vehicle had been previously reported stolen out of Alexandria.
Further investigation revealed the vehicle was involved in a high-speed, fatal automobile accident in St. Martin Parish approximately 3 hours after the robbery in Mandeville. Louisiana State Police had responded to the accident in St. Martin and identified the driver of the vehicle as Daniel Martinez. St. Tammany detectives determined that Daniel Martinez matched the description of the armed robber.
St. Tammany detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Daniel Martinez, who was later apprehended by the United States Marshals Fugitive Taskforce in Florida and extradited to St. Tammany Parish.
District Judge Raymond Childress presided over the trial.
Assistant District Attorneys Amanda Gritten and Tiffany Dover prosecuted the case.
The St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Division and Troop I of the Louisiana State Police provided vital assistance throughout the prosecution.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 11, 2023. The defendant has several previous felony convictions and faces a potential 198 years in prison as a repeat offender.
