By Sarah Stultz, staff writer

ALBERT LEA — Freeborn County District Court Judge John A. Chesterman on Monday sentenced Hiram Abel Rodriguez-Reyes to probation for up to 20 years for his connection with an armed robbery on South Washington Avenue in July 2009.

And if Rodriguez-Reyes violates his probation, he will go to prison for 21 months, according to the sentence.

The sentence came after Rodriguez-Reyes, 24, of Austin, pleaded guilty in June to first-degree burglary in exchange for having five other counts against him dismissed.

He was initially charged with one count of aggravated robbery, three counts of first-degree burglary and two counts of second-degree assault.

Chesterman ordered that Rodriguez-Reyes be sentenced to a 21-month stayed prison sentence, obtain permission from his Minnesota Department of Corrections agent before leaving the state, not own or use firearms or any other weapons, not use drugs or drink alcohol, and submit to testing to enforce this requirement. He will get credit for 98 days spent in the Freeborn County jail on the matter.

“Stayed” means that unless he violates a part of his probation, he will not have to serve prison time.

According to court documents, on July 16, 2009, Rodriguez-Reyes accompanied Joshua Quincy Hill of Albert Lea to 709 S. Washington Ave., at which Hill forced his way into the apartment and pointed a gun at a woman and man and requested their money.

Rodriguez-Reyes took a baseball bat from the woman — who was swinging it to protect her brother — and hit her TV with it and broke the bat. After he did that, he picked up the pieces of the bat and left.

The two men fled in a Chevy Malibu — Rodriguez-Reyes was reportedly the driver — however, when an officer did a U-turn to pull up behind the vehicle, Rodriguez-Reyes pulled over the car, got out of the car and ran, according to reports.

Rodriguez-Reyes reportedly escaped authorities after the robbery but was arrested March 26.

Hill attempted to run also but was ordered to the ground and arrested. He pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary in February and was sentenced to 78 months in prison for the incident.

During the sentencing, Chesterman also ordered Rodriguez-Reyes also pay $300 restitution for the TV and $40 for the bat.

Fleeing police

In a separate case, Chesterman sentenced Rodriguez-Reyes to a stayed sentence of 12 months for fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, stemming from an incident in May 2009. He will get credit for 100 days in jail.

For this case, Rodriguez-Reyes was involved in a high-speed chase with an Albert Lea police officer just after 6:30 a.m. on May 17, 2009.

The chase ended when he reportedly lost control of the vehicle while attempting to make a turn and struck a utility pole.

He then got out of the car and ran until the officer caught up with him, shocked him with a Taser and then arrested him.

He will be on probation for up to three years.

He is also required to complete 40 hours of Sentence to Serve time.

The sentence for this file was classified as a stay of imposition, which means if Rodriguez-Reyes complies with the conditions of his probation for the length of probation it can be lowered from a felony on his record.