Today (December 13, 2011) in Muscatine County District Court a sentencing hearing was held regarding JAY MICHAEL HARKLESS (DOB: 3/19/1986), formerly of Iowa City, who had previously pled guilty to Robbery in the Second Degree.
The Court sentenced HARKLESS to serve a prison term not to exceed ten years. HARKLESS will have to serve seven years of the sentence prior to parole eligibility. He was also fined $1,000 and ordered to pay restitution for the money stolen during the robbery.
HARKLESS had robbed a Central State Bank branch location at the Muscatine HyVee store (2400 2nd Ave.) on December 16, 2009. HARKLESS displayed a note and demanded money from the teller. He was apprehended following an investigation involving the Muscatine, Coralville, Iowa City, North Liberty police departments and the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Department. HARKLESS has previously pled guilty to four robberies in Johnson County, Iowa and has six counts of robbery pending in Black Hawk County. He will be transported to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center to begin serving his prison sentence once his Black Hawk County charges are resolved.
