Mid-Missouri woman admits to kidnapping, beating and robbery
A Fulton woman was sentenced Tuesday morning to 10 years in prison, after pleading guilty on two counts of first-degree robbery for two incidents near Fulton in 2012. Pamela Lynn Carter, 59, admits to robbing a woman she abducted from the Fulton Wal-Mart parking lot.
Carter also admitted in court to robbing the Fulton Holiday Inn. Both incidents happened in October 2012.
Carter had been charged with first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and a misdemeanor count of unlawful use of drug paraphernalia for a brutal October 6, 2012 incident outside the Fulton Wal-Mart. In a surprise development, Carter pleaded guilty Tuesday in St. Charles County.
Jury selection was scheduled to begin Tuesday morning in St. Charles, and the jury would have been transported to Fulton for the jury trial. Instead, Carter pleaded guilty before Judge Kevin Crane as prospective jurors waited in a nearby courtroom.
Prosecutors say Sara Spencer was abducted from the Fulton Wal-Mart, after buying groceries in the store. Fulton Police say video surveillance shows Carter had been hanging around the front of the store waiting for something, before following Spencer to her car. The victim was then beaten and left in a ditch near County Road 2010.
Fulton Police say video surveillance shows Carter and Spencer spoke for a few minutes before Carter got into the passenger side of Spencer’s car. The vehicle left the parking lot, and Fulton Police say the Honda CRV returned to the Wal-Mart about an hour later, occupied only by Carter. Fulton Police say Carter parked the vehicle, then went inside the store where she was photographed by security cameras, shopping.
Callaway County Prosecutor Chris Wilson tells ABC 17 News he’s pleased for the victim, saying it brings closure to Spencer. Wilson says this was a random incident.
Carter also admitted in court Tuesday to robbing the Fulton Holiday Inn in October 2012. Under Missouri state law, Carter must serve 85 percent of her 10 year prison sentence before she is eligible for parole.
