KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A five-time convicted felon from St. Joseph, Missouri, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on July 28 for holding an 18-year-old at knifepoint and robbing him of his debit card.
Christopher Mejia, 48, was convicted in Platte County of felony stealing and armed criminal action in March.
Mejia had only been released from prison for 100 days in February 2021 when he approached the 18-year-old victim with a knife and demanded his debit card and PIN number, per a Platte County press release. While Mejia continued to hold the victim at knifepoint, an accomplice withdrew $380 from the victim's bank account.
The transaction was recorded on the bank's ATM camera.
“This defendant is the textbook definition of a career criminal," said Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd in the release. "When he’s not in prison, he will victimize innocent people. He is exactly the type of person we build prisons for. However, given Missouri's revolving door prison policy, I fear he will again be paroled early.”
During the robbery, Mejia told the victim, "Do you know who I am? Do you know what I'm about? I don't play around."
Per the press release, Zahnd's office used a provision of a Missouri law to increase Mejia's sentences because he is repeat offender.
Mejia was on parole from the Missouri Department of Corrections for an attempted first-degree robbery during the time of the February 2021 incident.
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