Waldorf man sentenced 8 years for armed robbery

On June 8, 2017, around 11:15 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 2800 block of Homette Place in Waldorf for the report of an armed robbery.

One victim said that one individual had a gun to his head and the other had a knife to his friend’s stomach. The victims told police that they gave the suspects two iPhones and marijuana. The suspects then fled the scene on foot, according to charging documents.

Malik Yorubs Chambers-Thomas, 22, of Brandywine and Marks-Wiggins were both arrested and charged with charged with armed robbery, robbery, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and theft. In 2017, a judge set both men’s bail at $50,000.

On Jan. 8, Marks-Wiggins pleaded guilty to robbery and a violation of probation. Chambers-Thomas pleaded guilty to the same charged on April 4; his sentencing date is set for May 30.

On April 23, during Marks-Wiggins’ sentencing hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie asked the court to consider the guidelines for the robbery charge, which includes three to eight years of incarceration.

Beattie told the court that this incident was a “setup robbery” where Marks-Wiggins and Chambers-Thomas knew that the victims would have marijuana on them.

According to Beattie, Chambers-Thomas was named the suspect with the gun and Marks-Wiggins was named as the suspect with the knife during the incident. Beattie said that this makes Marks-Wiggins the second most culpable in the robbery.

Marks-Wiggins also was on probation from a prior charge while he was charged in the armed robbery incident, Beattie reminded the court.

Representing Marks-Wiggins were attorneys Robert Castro and Brendan Callahan.

“Everything that the state said is true,” Callahan said. However, he said that the ‘victim’ that the defendant pulled a knife on was an “inside man” and knew about the robbery and knew what was going to happen.

Nicklas Adams, 22, of Waldorf, who was the ‘victim’ with a knife held to his stomach, was also charged in the case. He pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced to 18 months incarceration in January.

Callahan asked for no more than 18 months incarceration with work release for the robbery charge, given Adams’ sentence.

Castro, who was representing the defendant on his violation of probation, called Marks-Wiggins “a good kid” and “respectful.” He asked for the court to keep Marks-Wiggins local, at the Charles County Detention Center, instead of sending him to the state Department of Corrections (DOC).

“It’s a DOC case every way you look at it,” West said.

West told the defense attorneys that there was a better argument that this was an above guidelines case than a below guidelines case.

He said that the real victim who was robbed at gunpoint was not on the inside; he “could have gotten hurt pretty easily.”

“Someone easily gets seriously harmed in this case,” West said.

West sentenced Marks-Wiggins to six years incarceration at the Department of Corrections for the robbery charge and two years to run consecutive for the violation of probation charge.

The defendant will be credited 300 days incarceration and will have to pay the victims $930 in restitution.