Man who raped store cashier given 30-year prison sentence

By Schuyler Kropf

The Post and Courier

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Wade Spees
The Post and Courier

Ronald Mark Simmons, 19, pleaded guilty to a January 2008 assault on a clerk at the Queen Street Grocery.

Previous stories

Queen Street store robbed, published 01/27/08

Police arrest suspect in sexual assault and robbery at Queen St. grocery, published 01/29/08

Queen Street Grocery rapist Ronald Mark Simmons was sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison Friday for brutalizing a store clerk.

During his guilty plea, Simmons, 19, blamed his conduct on a drug problem that included crack cocaine, saying he didn't recall what happened inside the popular Charleston convenience store.

"All I know is I came out of the store that day with money in my pocket," Simmons said during questioning by Circuit Judge Roger Young.

Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson discounted Simmons' story, saying that throughout the event he showed the know-how to lock the door, use a condom, steal the victim's ID and act like a customer when the attack was over.

"That's thinking pretty clearly," she said.

Simmons pleaded to four criminal counts that collectively could have put him behind bars for 95 years. The 30 years represents concurrent time for charges of rape, kidnapping, armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a crime of violence. He used a box-cutter or similar blade.

In court, Simmons apologized and asked for mercy, while the victim said the attack had stolen her sense of security. She had hoped for the full 95-year term. "I feel if given the opportunity, he would hurt someone again," she said.

Young said the sentence represents punishment and justice for someone who had never been in trouble before. Still, he told Simmons that even with the chance he could walk free among civilized people before he turns 50, his immediate future won't be pleasant.

"Where you're going, there aren't a lot of civilized folks," Young said.

Simmons pleaded guilty to the January 2008 attack in which he entered the Charleston store asking for cigarettes. He then grabbed the cashier, forcing her into a back bathroom. When the attack was over, he acted as if he were a customer when another customer came by.

Surveillance video broadcast on local media helped lead to an arrest three days later. Relatives turned him in, it was disclosed in court.

Young said Simmons' family should not feel guilty for contacting authorities, saying that reporting suspects should not be viewed as ratting or snitching.

"We should encourage that kind of thinking, not denigrate it," he said.

Simmons is not eligible for parole but he could be released after serving 85 percent of his time, based on his conduct behind bars. His sentence begins immediately.

Reach Schuyler Kropf at 937-5551, or skropf@postandcourier.com.