(PUEBLO, Colo.) — A 38-year-old from Pueblo was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for a 2022 armed robbery in which he pointed a handgun at a restaurant employee.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, the plea agreement states that on April 11, 2022, 38-year-old Perry Lohnes went in to a fast food restaurant on East 8th Street in Pueblo and ordered food. He went to sit down and eat, and then returned to the counter and started taking cash from the cash register.

A restaurant employee confronted Lohnes, and he then pulled a handgun from his pocket and pulled the slide back, expelling a round of ammunition into the cash register. He pointed the gun at the employee and told her to “get back,” before taking cash from the register and running toward a nearby park.

“We are taking an aggressive approach to prosecuting violent criminals in Pueblo,” said United States Attorney Cole Finegan. “This case is one example of excellent work from our law enforcement partners working together to make Pueblo a safer community. This type of violence will not be tolerated.”

Lohnes was sentenced on March 1.