THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 16, 1995 TAG: 9508160506
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
A 20-year-old man was sentenced to 29 years in prison Tuesday for attempting to rob a Pizza Hut.
Anthony Hathaway, of Edenton, was charged with robbery, abduction and firearms charges after he and three other men entered the restaurant on 3522 Airline Blvd. and demanded money.
An off-duty police officer saw the robbery and ordered the men to stop. One man opened fire and the officer fired back. The men fled.
After fleeing the Pizza Hut, the four men separated - with Hathaway and another suspect, Fred Blount, returning to their homes.
The other men - Theola Saunders and Charles P. Bond - drove to a nearby home, where they abducted Wayne Thomas, 25, and his sister Leslie, police said.
Saunders later shot Wayne Thomas as he tried to help his sister escape, testimony showed. Prosecutors said he was following Bond's orders. Saunders pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping and use of a firearm. In April, he was sentenced to life in prison.
Bond was convicted of capital murder. In March, he received the death penalty.
KEYWORDS: ROBBERY ARREST TRIAL SENTENCING by CNB