Apple Valley Woman Gets 3 Years for Northfield Hotel Robbery

A federal court sentenced a 23-year-old Apple Valley woman to 36 months in prison Wednesday for her involvement in the armed robbery of a Northfield hotel last fall.

Julie Ann Campana was sentenced on one count of aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery after pleading guilty on April 2, 2013, according to the United States District Attorney's Minnesota office.

On July 17, her co-defendent Eric Wayne Forcier, 27 of Farmington, was sentenced to 240 months on two counts of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of using, carrying possessing or brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a handgun. He also pleaded guilty on April 2. 

Northfield's America's Best Value Inns & Suites reported an armed robbery around 2:45 a.m. Oct. 29, 2012. The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle, which was later stopped by police. Campana, the driver, was taken into custody and identified Forcier, who had fled from the vehicle.

According to an attorney's office release, in Forcier's plea agreement he admitted to entering the hotel while wearing a Halloween mask, pointing a handgun at the night manager and demanding money. After receiving $114, he ran outside to an awaiting vehicle. The car left the scene and was stopped by police shortly after. In Campana's plea agreement, she admitted to being the driver of the vehicle and questioning the night manager about nighttime operations prior to the robbery.

In addition, Forcier admitted to robbing four other businesses between Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, 2012. Campana admitted to being the get-away driver in three of those robberies.

Related:

• Apple Valley Woman Named as Suspect in Northfield Robbery