On August 4, 2015, 24 year old, Joseph William Herbert of Stevensville, Maryland entered a guilty plea to Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the Circuit Court for Queen Anne’s County.  Mr. Herbert entered his guilty plea based on a January 25, 2014 incident at the Hardee’s restaurant in Stevensville.  Herbert, along with three other individuals knocked on the rear door of the restaurant.  The door was answered by an employee inside and the men burst into the business displaying handguns and demanding access to the restaurant’s safe and money.  During the robbery attempt, one of the Hardee’s employees was struck in the head by one of the men.  Another employee fought back against the suspects and the men fled the Hardee’s without any money.  All of the employees recognized two of the suspects based on the clothing they were wearing and their voices.  One was identified as a current employee; the other, identified as Herbert, had been a former employee.

Mr. Herbert has a minor criminal record and was sentenced to five years incarceration.  The jail sentence was suspended except for 180 days, which Mr. Herbert will serve at the Queen Anne’s County Detention Center.  Following his release Herbert will be placed on five years of supervised probation.

Deputy State’s Attorney Christine Dulla Rickard prosecuted this case.