A Plainfield man has been sentenced to 18 years in state prison for robbing a pedestrian at knifepoint in 2012, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Monday.
Ricky Sugar-Ray Booker, 25, must serve at least 85 percent of that term before becoming eligible for parole, according to terms set down Friday by state Superior Court Judge Joseph P. Donohue. A Union County jury took 90 minutes to convict Booker on a first-degree robbery charge following a trial that took place in August.
It was early on the morning of April 19, 2012 when the victim, then a resident of West Third Street in Plainfield, was walking to a local county park to exercise, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutors Scott Peterson and Travis Carter, who prosecuted the case. As the victim walked down South Second Street in Plainfield, a vehicle approached and a man later identified as Booker got out and started chasing him, Peterson said.
The victim tripped and fell, allowing Booker to catch up, and he then was robbed of approximately $300. The vehicle subsequently sped off with Booker inside.
A Plainfield Police Division investigation that grew to additionally involve Prosecutor’s Office detectives identified Booker as a suspect in the case, and he was arrested about three weeks later, with bail set at $250,000, cash only.