Armed Robber Sentenced for St. Cloud Hold-Ups

ST. CLOUD --  The man who held up a St. Cloud SuperAmerica store and Knotty Pine Liquor has been sentenced to prison.

Twenty-four-year-old Lavonta Lofton pleaded guilty to both robberies earlier this summer.

With credit for time served, Lofton will spend about five years in prison. He was sentenced to 69 months for the December hold-up of the SuperAmerica store and 57 months for the liquor store robbery days later. Both sentences will be served concurrently, or in other words, at the same time.

Court records show Lofton walked into SuperAmerica on 32nd Avenue North December 11th, displayed a handgun, placed a plastic bag on the counter and demanded the clerk put the money inside.

About two weeks later, Lofton was arrested after pulling a handgun on an employee at Knotty Pine liquor and demanding cash. Police followed footprints in the snow which led them to Lofton and the handgun used in the December 23rd the hold-up. Police determined the gun was stolen during an armed robbery months earlier.