photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Wesley James Tolbert

A second man involved in an armed robbery in Lawrence pleaded guilty to the charges on Thursday while the third man connected to the case remains at large.

Wesley James Tolbert, 25, Lawrence, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated robbery and one count of aggravated burglary. He was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in April.

The charges stem from an incident where Tolbert along with two other men allegedly robbed a residence at gunpoint in the 900 block of Arkansas Street around 9:15 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2021. The other two men charged are Casey Lamont Williams Jr., 24, and Victor Gabriel Moreno, 19.

Judge Kay Huff accepted Tolbert’s plea and said that he faces 55 to 247 months for the aggravated robbery charge and 38 to 172 months for the aggravated burglary charge depending on his criminal history. As part of his plea he has agreed to pay $12,000 in restitution to the victims, she said.

Tolbert’s defense attorney, Bradley Hook, said that Tolbert shouldn’t be required to register with the state as a violent offender for this case because the gun Tolbert used was an airsoft gun and not a deadly weapon. Tolbert has been registered as a violent offender since 2018 after being released from prison, he said.

Huff said that the charge of aggravated robbery depends on whether the victim thought the weapon was real; however, the Kansas Public Offenders Registry takes into account if the weapon was actually a deadly weapon. She said that she would not require Tolbert to register again in this new case.

Tolbert was convicted in 2016 of attempted aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery. He was sentenced to 45 months in prison by Douglas County District Court Judge Stacey Donovan, according to court records.

Tolbert is currently free on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 23.

As previously reported by the Journal-World, Moreno was the first to plead guilty to two counts of robbery in May and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 1. Moreno faces up to 32 month on each count. He is currently in custody at the Douglas County Jail.

photo by: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

Victor Gabriel Moreno

The other man alleged to have been involved in the robbery, Williams, was arrested on Oct. 14, 2021, and posted a $100,000 bond a week later but missed his court appearance on Nov. 1, prompting Huff to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.

Williams has an extensive criminal history, including being convicted of attempted aggravated robbery, and was sentenced to 52 months by Huff in February of 2016.

Williams was scheduled to be sentenced in November after being convicted of one count of burglary of a dwelling and two counts of criminal threat as a part of a plea deal that resolved 19 different charges spread over eight cases the Journal-World reported, but he did not appear for that sentencing.

photo by: Kansas inmate registry

Casey L. Williams Jr. in 2020.