A Russellville man implicated 2011 armed robbery at a local convenience store pleaded guilty this past week and was sentenced to prison, officials said.

Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing said Damien Lee Nix, 24, of Russellville, pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery and received a 20-year prison sentence, split, with five years to serve followed by four years of probation.

Rushing said Nix was also ordered to pay back all restitution and fines.

“After speaking with the victims in this case and receiving their approval, we believe this was a good sentence,” Rushing said.

“Mr. Nix will be serving the time he deserves for committing this crime, and the split sentence will ensure that he serves the full five years instead of getting out early on parole.”

Nix was originally charged with and indicted for first-degree robbery, due to an incident that took place at A&A County Line Quick Stop on Nov. 21, 2011.

According to Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver, Nix was accused of entering the store on County Line Road at about 6:20 p.m. dressed in black clothing and wearing a black ski mask.

Oliver said that according to witness reports, Nix pointed a gun at storeowner Alex McClusky and told him to put all the money from the register in the bag.

After McClusky put the money in the bag, witnesses said Nix fled the scene on foot. Oliver said McClusky pursued him for a short distance after firing three rounds at Nix but eventually lost sight of him.

Oliver said the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Colbert and Lawrence County Sheriff’s departments responded to the scene and searched the area with the assistance of the Russellville Police Department’s K-9 Unit but were unable to track down the suspect at that time.

After an extensive investigation, police were able to apprehended Nix once he was developed as the main suspect.

“The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office did a great job of putting this case together and gathering witnesses that helped develop Nix as a suspect,” Rushing said.

“We appreciate their hard work in seeing this case through to completion.”