Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Robbing South Side Market While on Electronic Monitoring
A man who twice robbed the same South Side market while he was on electronic monitoring for a pending burglary case has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Timothy Bowden, 29, committed both robberies while he was out on “essential movement” privileges granted to people on electronic monitoring under the SAFE-T Act. The program allows two days a week outside the home for approved purposes such as job applications, grocery shopping, and medical appointments. However, robbing a store is not considered an essential activity.
Last Christmas, officers responded to a robbery at La Feria grocery store in South Deering. The cashier reported that a man handed her a note demanding money, claiming he had a gun. After taking the cash, the robber fled the scene. Police found Bowden a block away, wearing clothing matching the description provided by the cashier. She positively identified him as the offender. It was also revealed that Bowden had robbed the store on another occasion, though he was only charged for the Christmas-week incident.
Bowden had been on electronic monitoring since July 2024 following his arrest for burglary in September 2023. Individuals on essential movement are allowed to leave their homes twice a week, with those days counting towards sentence credits if convicted.
Judge Natosha Toller sentenced Bowden to three concurrent seven-year terms for the burglary and two robberies. With a standard 50 percent sentence reduction and credit for time served in jail and on electronic monitoring, he is expected to be eligible for parole in December 2027.
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