KIMBERLY K. COOK, d/o/b 7-27-1968, of Springfield, Missouri, was sentenced on Friday, June 16, 2017, to twenty-five (25) years in prison for the class A felony of robbery in the first degree, the class B felony of robbery in the second degree, and two unclassified felonies of armed criminal action. Judge Laura Johnson had previously accepted Cook’s guilty plea on March 1, 2017, and, on Friday, Johnson sentenced Cook to twenty-five (25) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on each of the four (4) felonies, with the sentences to run concurrently with one another.

All charges in this case stemmed from a pair of robberies committed by Cook on October 2, 2014, in the City of Branson. Cook first robbed a woman of her car in the parking lot of a local business. Cook then drove the car to a motel and robbed an employee of cash belonging to the motel. During both robberies, Cook was armed with a knife. Branson police officers caught Cook later the same day, and he was found to be in possession of a knife, the stolen cash, and the keys to the stolen vehicle. Detectives Nathan Arnett and Sean Barnwell led the investigation.

The class A felony of robbery in the first degree carries a potential prison sentence of between 10 and 30 years, or life with the possibility of parole. The class B felony of robbery in the second degree carries a sentence of between 5 and 15 years in prison. The felonies of armed criminal action carry a minimum of 3 years in prison and have no upper maximum. Cook was charged as a persistent felony offender due to his prior convictions for robbery, attempted robbery, leaving the scene of an accident, and aggravated battery. Cook’s status as a persistent felony offender enhanced the maximum penalty on the class B felony to thirty (30) years. The State had made no agreement for a specific sentence, but at sentencing asked the Court for concurrent sentences of 25 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.