Getaway driver in armored truck robbery pleads guilty
WATERLOO IA Aug 26 2021– The woman accused of being a getaway driver in an armored truck robbery that ended in the death of one of the robbers has pleaded.
Justina Lynn Davis, 30, entered an Alford plea — not admitting guilt but contending that she would likely be convicted at trial — to a reduced charge of conspiracy to commit second-degree robbery on Monday in Black Hawk County District Court.
She was originally charged with first-degree robbery, which carries up to 25 years behind bars with a 17-year mandatory minimum before parole.
Instead, Davis was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison with no mandatory minimum under the plea agreement with prosecutors. Fines and surcharges were suspended.
Davis is the second person to plead in the robbery. Kevin Cruz Soliveras, 30, in June 2021 pleaded guilty to robbery in the heist as well as a list of unrelated crimes.
The holdup happened as Rochester Armored Car workers stopped at U.S. Bank on Kimball Avenue to load cash on March 11, 2021. The guards opened fire, killing 37-year-old Bryce Altman Miller, who was brandishing two handguns.
Soliveras and Rogelio Gonzalez, 38, drove off, each being struck by gunfire as they fled. They ditched their vehicle a few blocks away and climbed into a Hyundai Sonata driven by Davis to make their escape.
Gonzalez, who was shot in the hip, was detained a few hours later at a convenience store, and Cruz, who was hit in the head, and Davis were later arrested in the Des Moines area.
Gonzalez is still awaiting trial.
