Guillory enters best interest plea in ATM robbery case

On Thursday, Dejuan M. Guillory entered a best interest plea, which is a plea where the defendant maintains his innocence but concedes because they feel they would likely be convicted if the case goes to trial, for criminal damage to property valued at $50,000 or more. This type of plea in Louisiana is treated like a guilty plea.
The Mamou Police Department, with the assistance of the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office, arrested Guillory in August of 2015 for robbing Citizens Bank in Mamou by stealing their ATM using a backhoe.
Although Guilllory was initially charged with attempted first degree murder for shooting at a cop that arrived on scene, theft, three counts of simple criminal damage to property and aggravated criminal damage to property, the state ammended one charge of simple criminal damage to property and instead charged Guillory with criminal damage to property. The remaining charges were dropped.
For his best interest plea, the Mamou man was sentenced to 10 years at hard labor with five years suspended and five years of active supervised probation.
Guillory will also be required to pay $1,000 in fines, $127.50 for court cost, $5,000 for the cost of prosecution, $100 warrant fee, and $50 to the victim fund. The 26-year-old will also have to pay restitution in the amount of $5,000 to Citizens Bank and $60.51 to Coastal Bridge within 90 days of December 1, 2016.
The special conditions added to his sentence will require Guillory to stay away from all Citizens Banks and Costal Bridge during the term of his probation.
Guillory, who has remained in jail since his arrest more than a year ago, received credit for time served.