Robber sentence upsets police

Post Falls Police Capt. Greg McLean says the punishment of Samuel J. Davis doesn’t fit the crime.

Davis received 10 years probation and a $5,000 fine while the Check 'n Go female employee who was held up is still suffering from the effects of the March 17, 2015, encounter.

McLean called the sentence "disheartening."

"He was not on drugs, not intoxicated, and he made a conscious effort to walk into the business, point a gun at the face of a woman and rob her of the money," he said.

McLean said the woman quit her job and is still terrified.

"Even to this day, she has panic attacks on dark and gloomy days because that day was like that," McLean said.

Davis, 30, of Vienna, Mo., was incarcerated in the Kootenai County jail from June 23, 2015, until last Thursday — more than a year. He was arrested in Missouri on May 9, 2015.

PFPD sent McLean and Detective Neil Uhrig to Missouri to make the arrest, interview Davis, serve search warrants to process his home and vehicle, and attend his court appearance. He doesn't have previous criminal history.

First District Court Judge Cynthia Meyer, who handed down the sentence which includes giving Davis three years to pay the fine, could not be reached for comment on Monday.

Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh said his office recommended a prison sentence of four years fixed, six years indeterminate, based on the circumstances of the case.

"We still believe that would be an appropriate sentence," McHugh said, adding the recommendation was made with credit for 433 days served in jail.

By comparison, McLean said, a bank robber who was diagnosed with mental issues five years ago received a five-year prison sentence.

McLean said Post Falls Police will seek restitution through the courts on the costs to extradite Davis back to Kootenai County.

He did not know what those costs were, but on Monday he estimated PFPD had spent more than 500 hours on the case.

"We did our job," he said. "We are asked by the citizens of Post Falls to enforce the law and find the person so justice could be served."