One of two men charged with robbing and shooting a North Montgomery Street resident last October was sentenced Monday to 15 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Oktibbeha County Circuit Court Judge Lee Howard sentenced 30-year-old Kenyon Cannon, aka “Smoke,” to 30 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections for one count of armed robbery, though he suspended all but 15 of those years. Howard also sentenced Cannon to 15 years for one count of aggravated assault, however the sentence is to run concurrent with time served for the armed robbery charge.
Cannon also faces five years of post-release supervision and must pay a $1,000 fine.
The trial for the second suspect, Cannon”s half-brother, Roderick D. Franklin, aka “Bam Bam,” was postponed until the January court term because his attorney, Pierson Liddell, had a death in the family. Both were charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault for the incident on Oct. 30, 2009, when police say the duo shot and robbed a man in the 800 block of North Montgomery Street. The victim was shot at least five times in the face and body and an undisclosed amount of money was taken from him, according to court documents. He was treated for his injuries at OCH Regional Medical Center and University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Cannon and Franklin then went on the run and three of their family members were arrested during the investigation into their whereabouts.
James W. Cannon, the father of both suspects, was charged by Starkville police with obstruction of justice. Wallace C. Cannon, the full brother of Kenyon Cannon and the half-brother of Franklin, also was charged with obstruction of justice. Police at the time said the pair knew the whereabouts of Franklin and Kenyon Cannon, but withheld the information.
Shanquinna Renee Hollingshed, Franklin”s wife, was charged with possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana after police discovered it while running a search warrant on her home in the hunt for Franklin.
Cannon and Franklin were discovered months after the shooting in Louisiana. Cannon was captured by U.S. Marshals and the New Orleans Police Department March 8, while the same two agencies teamed up to capture Franklin on March 16.
Cannon has two prior felony convictions and two prior misdemeanor convictions. In 1997, Cannon was convicted of grand larceny in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court. In 2006, Cannon was convicted of possession of cocaine in Lowndes County Circuit Court. It is unclear how much time he served.
Cannon also has been convicted of possession of marijuana and driving under the influence, but dates for those two charges were not available.
Other business
In other court business Monday, Howard sentenced Johnny Frank Bell, deemed an habitual offender, to four years in the MDOC without the possibility of parole for possession of cocaine. Bell also must pay a $1,000 fine.
Howard sentenced Courtland Brown to two years in the MDOC for DUI, third offense. Brown also faces three years of post-release supervision and must pay a $3,000 fine.
Howard did not accept the guilty plea of Whitney Houry for one count of identity theft and instead gave Houry five years of probation. Houry also must pay a $200 fine and $250 in restitution.
Howard sentenced Charles Thompson to one year of house arrest and four years of probation for DUI, third offense. If Thompson does not successfully complete the house arrest and probation programs, he must serve the remainder of a five-year sentence in the MDOC. Thompson also must pay a $2,000 fine.
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