Man Gets 2 Life Sentences For One-Day Crime Spree in Sarasota

A man responsible for a "brief but violent" one-day crime spree through Sarasota in 2011 has been sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 20 years behind bars, authorities said Thursday.

Pele Williams, 31,  outside Westfield Sarasota Square mall. He then headed north to the Sarasota Pavilion, where he and co-defendant Melodee Haygood robbed and shot a woman in the leg outside a Publix.

The crime spree ended on Stickney Point Road when the pair crashed their black Mercedes following a short pursuit by Sarasota County Sheriff's Office deputies.

Haygood had previously agreed to a 25-year prison sentence. Williams chose to go to court, where a jury convicted him on charges of robbery with a firearm, principal to a robbery with a firearm, principal to aggravated battery and fleeing to elude, according to the sheriff's office. 

A judge immediately sentenced him because of his violent history and status as a prison release re-offender, sheriff's office spokesperson Wendy Rose said.

Pele Williams was convicted of robbery with a firearm, principal to robbery with a firearm, principal to aggravated battery and fleeing to elude. 

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