Man gets 99 years in prison for stealing a carton of cigarettes

A central Texas jury has sentenced a man to 99 years in prison for stealing a carton of cigarettes from a smoke shop.

The McLennan County jury sentenced 55-year-old Leon Willis Wilkerson in Waco on Thursday after finding him guilty of robbery on Wednesday.



Wilkerson was charged as a habitual criminal. He had a record of eight previous felony convictions and 12 misdemeanors.

According to court documents, Wilkerson stole the cigarettes in July 2008, tucked them in his jacket, then shoved to the ground a man who tried to stop him. The fallen man was injured, allowing prosecutors to upgrade the charge against Wilkerson from theft to robbery.