Man sentenced to 25 years for robbing church employee

CANTON — A Canton man was sentenced to serve a quarter of a century in prison in connection with the armed robbery of a First Baptist Church staffer in January, District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced Tuesday.

The man, Oscar Stevenson, 35, of Canton pleaded guilty to one charge of armed robbery and was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Steve Ratcliff to serve 25 years in prison.

“This is yet another example of a frequent flyer of the criminal justice system continually being granted parole and minimal bonds and being allowed to keep committing crimes,” Bramlett said. “Hopefully now that he has to serve twenty-five years in the custody of MDOC, plus all of his revoked parole time, he will not be able to steal and rob innocent victims.“

On January 24, of this year Stevenson walked into the First Baptist Church of Canton and held a staff member at gunpoint demanding money, Bramlett said. The victim was reportedly able to get away from Stevenson and hide in an office.

She called 911, and officers from the Canton Police Department were able to view the robbery through the church’s security cameras, according to Bramlett. 

“Officers identified the perpetrator as Stevenson, whom they were familiar with from previous incidences,” Bramlett said. “Law enforcement quickly apprehended him wearing the same clothes he had during the robbery.

Stevenson had been released on bond out of Canton Municipal Court for an unrelated auto burglary charge on January 18, 2023, Bramlett said. He was also on parole for various charges at the time of the robbery through the Mississippi Department of Corrections.