Last Updated:May 15. 2008 11:31PM
Published: May 16. 2008 3:30AM

Two men who pleaded guilty in April to separate armed robberies received identical sentences Thursday in Lauderdale County Circuit Court.

Peara Dewayne Crutcher, 19, of Huntsville, and Rayburn Lamar Peacock, 18, of Florence, were each sentenced to 20 years in prison by Lauderdale Circuit Court Judge Mike Jones.

Crutcher was charged with robbing Happy Hollow Market on Lauderdale 47. Peacock was charged with robbing a Florence pizza delivery driver. Both robberies occurred in July 2007.

During Thursday's sentencing hearings, Lauderdale Chief Assistant District Attorney Will Powell asked Jones to sentence both men to 20 years and order that they serve their sentences in prison rather than on probation or some other form of alternative sentence.

"This was a premeditated, strong-arm robbery," Powell said of the Happy Hollow Market hold up. He said Crutcher had admitted being the person shown on a surveillance video wearing a mask and threatening the clerk with a pistol.

Defense attorney Elizabeth Berry said Crutcher regrets the robbery and asked Jones to spare him from prison. "I don't think he's going to get into trouble again." Jones ordered Crutcher to pay $898 in restitution.

Powell told Jones that Peacock threatened a pizza delivery driver with a shotgun after luring him to an abandoned home in east Florence.

Defense attorney Jeff Austin, of Florence, asked Jones to allow Peacock to serve the majority of his sentence on probation. Austin said Andre Kelly Anderson, of Florence, a co-defendant in the case, was sentenced to three years in prison as part of a plea agreement. He asked that Peacock receive a similar sentence.

Powell said Anderson testified before another judge that he went along with Peacock to make sure he did not shoot anyone during the robbery. Powell said while he isn't convinced Anderson was truthful about his involvement in the robbery, that it was the basis for his shorter prison sentence.

Peacock apologized and said he was using drugs when the robbery occurred. "I'm not a violent person."

Peacock smiled as he returned to his seat in the courtroom after Jones had ordered the 20-year prison sentence.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com.