Fort Valley man convicted and sentenced for 2019 attempted armed robbery and pistol whipping

FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) –The office of  District Attorney Anita Howard of the Macon Judicial Circuit sent out a release with the announcement of the conviction and sentencing of a Fort Valley man on Thursday afternoon, September 16, 2021.

According to the release, 20 year-old Cameron smith has been sentenced and convicted in relation to an incident in May of 2019 where Smith attempted to rob a victim at gunpoint– Smith pistol whipped the victim so hard that he permanently lost sight in his right eye.

Jurors returned guilty verdicts, and Smith was given a 40 year sentence, the first 20 to be served in prison.

The release includes that Senior Assistant District Attorney Neil A. Halvorson, who led the prosecution team, recommended this: “a significant prison sentence that would send a message to the community that this type of behavior is not acceptable, is not tolerated, and should be punished appropriately because a free society cannot tolerate violent crime,”.