The Antelope Valley Times

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Palmdale women gets 27 years in local robbery spree

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Brooke Hollins [LASD booking photo]
LANCASTER – A 25-year-old Palmdale woman has been sentenced to 27 years in prison in connection with a string of local robberies that occurred in 2011 and 2012, authorities said.

Brooke Nicole Hollins — one of three defendants in the case — was sentenced Wednesday in an Antelope Valley courtroom, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The case stems from several armed robberies that occurred between Dec. 12, 2011 and Sept. 24, 2012, at several Palmdale stores, including CVS, Walgreens and Little Caesar.

Hollins and co-defendants Mahealani Austin, 28, and Marcus Travis Robinson, 27, were arrested Feb. 5, 2014, after a “surveillance and search warrant operation,” which also turned up a firearm and other evidence related to the crimes, sheriff’s officials said in a previous statement.  

The trio originally faced 72 criminal counts, but the complaint was later amended to 33 criminal counts, which included multiple counts of robbery and kidnapping for robbery and named 17 victims.

At a preliminary court hearing in 2014, several of the victims — many of them store managers — testified that they were confronted by ski-masked robbers dressed in black who threatened them at gunpoint and took them to isolated areas of the retail locations. [Read more here.]

Several of the stores were robbed more than once, officials said.

Mahealani Austin, Marcus Robinson [LASD]
Following the multi-day preliminary court hearing, Hollins, Austin and Robinson were ordered to stand trial on 13 counts each of second-degree robbery, eight counts each of kidnapping to commit robbery, four counts each of attempted robbery and two counts each of criminal threats, according to Deputy District Attorney Craig Kleffman.

Hollins pleaded guilty Oct. 31 to five counts of kidnapping, and the remaining charges were dismissed, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Mahealani Austin pleaded guilty Oct. 28 to five counts of armed robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, Santiago said. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 27, 2017, and faces up to 35 years in prison.

Marcus Robinson pleaded no contest Oct. 31 to 10 counts of armed robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, Santiago said. Robinson is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16 and faces up to 45 years in prison.

Previous related stories:

Palmdale trio ordered to trial for robbery spree

Testimony continues for trio charged in armed robbery spree

Armed robbery suspects arrested

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Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

29 comments for "Palmdale women gets 27 years in local robbery spree"

  1. I know Brooke. She was a student at CSUN and was pre-med.

    She was the driver. She was talked into it by her boyfriend, one of the robbers. She wouldn’t testify against them, so they gave her an extremely harsh sentence.

    She’s intelligent, an amazing singer and songwriter and reads a lot. I can only imagine the resignation with which she took this sentence. She signed most of her life away.

    Prop 57 saves people just like Brooke. People who can be fine contributors to our society. She’s had time to reflect on what she’s done and also, hopefully, break the cycle of domestic violence that she was in with her boyfriend.

    I wish the best for her.

    • No excuses for her nidng involved.
      She’s an adult.
      Unfortunately you’re right about one thing, prop 57 eventually letting hoodlums like this out early.

  2. Racism has nothing to do with it…Im so sick n tired of (the divide) Get your ass up,go to work,take care of your family?Hard n terrible I know lmfao

  3. Picture this for ALL you bleeding hearts softies. You’re a young person or an older person getting back into the work force. You are doing the right thing developing a resume for promotion or moving up the better job ladder. You go to work and some numb nuts in hoodie put a gun in your face and threaten physical harm (death by lead poisoning) you and your co-workers. You survive the night but having a hard time sleeping months after your ordeal. Sorry, your life does not matter because the needs to reduce the prison population which is mandate per three panel federal Judge (which is the driving force for prop 47/57). These same judges which rules the reduction will have NO safety issue in the communities. Maybe not in the Federal Judge’s community but that is okay it is just the working class who will do the bleeding & dying.

  4. The time served credit plus good time credit. These poster children for prop 47/57 will be out in a few years back (8 years or less) in the AV doing what they know how to do (criminal behavior). Robbing people at gun point and causing them to have those night sweats (fear- nightmares/PTSD). People please remember you can NOT rob a Store. You can ONLY rob & threaten another HUMAN. They already got a major discount on prison time on the counts on the reduction from 83* counts. 83 counts that is a lot of people getting robbed at gun point putting through the fear of possible death. Remember the victims are not the store but the people working those businesses. Every robbery has the potential of going wrong in many ways & someone gets KILLED (victims/ police/ crooks).Myself I have no problem if the crooks gets put down if not for the police or security personnel going through shooting stress issues.

  5. How do you know they did it? Because they were found guilty? One pleaded no contest. And the other two took a deal to get less time. The DA probably was pushing for a life sentence and the only way to avoid that is to take the “DEAL”.

    • All of us knew they were doing something illegal! But like them, no one thought they would get caught. But greed and stupidity will always get you caught. The more they got away with it, the more brazen they got. Its good they got caught before they or somebody else got seriously hurt or killed. Stop acting like you didn’t know. I bet they took a deals because there was lots of evidence they cudda got them more time. And yes, the judges in the AV give my white peeps long time also…Check the facts before pulling others in to your racist family! The victims will suffer for years to come, now the suspects can do the same. Some burglars get shot by the victims, like the guy robbing a business. Maybe they should count their blessings, at least they will have a parole date. Their parents can still visit and talk to them rather than visiting the cemetery.

    • If I didn’t know it, a deal is what I’m NOT taking! There’s a reason a “no contest” plea is used in the same manner as a “guilty” plea! I’d rather fight for the truth, lose and be convicted, than not fight, plead no contest and for sure go to prison. Not happening!

  7. I am not condoning their actions what they did was totally wrong so please don’t take this the wrong way but why is it African Americans and Latinos get longer sentences

    • Maybe because most of the judges are white and racist cause if they white they be like he/she has a mental disorder b.s. they are mental period

        • After it was reduced to 13 counts of robbery and 8 counts of kidnapping, the 27 years works out to about 9 months for each crime. Sounds rather soft as sentencing goes.

      • All of them did multiple crimes. Thats why such a long sentence. They plan it out did all kinds of crimes. Wish I was a judge I give them all the max. Play stupid games win long prison time.

      • @Omiga…..Sorry but I been put away by my own “color” Judge! Yall racist for being stereotype! FYA

    • Maybe the blacks and latinos commit more crimes and have higher recidivism rates with entire communities who make excuses for them and blame the “system”. A novel idea would be to stay in school, don’t have babies while in school and maybe wait til your married, get a job and work 30-40 years and retire.

      Some cultures just don’t like doing that and instead preach “racism” and “it’s not your fault”.

      • Blacks & Latinos do not commit more crimes, that’s what’s portrayed in the media don’t let your reality be confused with white privilege, America was built by slavery and still exist today ie jails & prisons. Your comment was very ignorant and plain dumb so I’m not even going to elaborate even further.

        • If only the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting…you know, where the actual data is compiled…agreed with you, but it doesn’t. The “slavery” you mentioned isn’t even accurate. People choose to drop out of school, choose to have kids out of wedlock, commit crime and live in cultures that embrace and excuse the behavior.

          Once they end up in jail and prison after multiple probations, diversions and charges/cases dropped, it’s still their fault they ended up in prison.

    • LOL. Go to Jail. And figure it out yourself, once you come from under the rock you live under. ……BTW…….YOu are wrong!

  8. When this story first broke everyone was saying, “They don’t have any evidence.” I guess you were wrong. Maybe now you have a better understanding as to how the justice system works. People do not plead guilty of they are innocent!