Patchogue man, Joseph Allgood, gets 16 years to life in botched robbery at Center Moriches 7-Eleven
A Patchogue man received a stiff prison sentence for an attempted robbery at a 7-Eleven store in Center Moriches in which he stabbed two employees with a box cutter in 2018, officials said.
A Suffolk County jury convicted Joseph Allgood, 50, of two counts of second-degree attempted robbery on June 21. Suffolk County Court Judge Philip Goglas sentenced Allgood on Friday to a prison term of 16 years to life, Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini said in a statement.
Allgood was also deemed by the court to be a mandatory persistent violent felony offender because of his criminal history, officials said.
“There is no excuse for the reckless and dangerous behavior of this individual who injured innocent members of our community,” Sini said. “This is a significant sentence that serves justice for the victims and holds the defendant accountable for his despicable actions.”
Allgood’s Manhattan-based attorney Scott Zerner said Friday night that his client maintains his innocence and an appeal is expected to be filed on his behalf within the next month. Zerner also said Goglas dismissed a first-degree attempted robbery charge against Allgood.
“Mr. Allgood has maintained his innocence throughout, testified in the grand jury, and testified at trial,” Zerner said. “And while he respects the jury’s verdict, he also maintains that the 7-Eleven clerks, perhaps due to a language barrier, overreacted and escalated the incident.”
The attempted robbery occurred shortly before 2 a.m. at a 7-Eleven store on Main Street on Oct. 11, 2018. That’s when Allgood entered the store and lunged at a clerk and demanded money from the register, prosecutors said. The clerk did not immediately comply, while Allgood grabbed for the register, which prompted a fight between him and the clerk, officials said.
Allgood then pulled out a box cutter and “began to stab and slice the victim,” officials said.
A second employee attempted to help the clerk, and that’s when Allgood also stabbed the second employee and bit both employees, officials said. One of the employees then grabbed a pizza cutter and used it to cut Allgood’s head until he dropped the box cutter, prosecutors said.
A silent alarm notified officers to respond to the store. Allgood was then arrested, officials said.
Allgood and the two store employees received minor injuries, officials said.
By Antonio Planas
