Repeat Offender Sentenced to 16 Years for Armed Robbery of Perry Dollar General

Johnny Ray Parks, 64, of Reynolds, Georgia, was sentenced to 16 years in prison without the possibility of parole, followed by four years on probation, after pleading guilty on Monday, July 7, 2025, to armed robbery. The conviction stems from the theft of over $3,000 from a Dollar General store in Perry last year.

According to the Houston County District Attorney’s Office, Parks was identified as a suspect in an armed robbery investigation from 2024. Court evidence detailed that on September 11, the Perry Police Department responded to a Dollar General on Plaza Connector where a visibly upset store clerk reported the incident.

The clerk told officers that a man in a blue jumpsuit, hat, and surgical mask approached the counter, announced a robbery, and threatened to shoot her if she didn’t comply, holding one hand in his pocket as if armed. The suspect took approximately $3,800 from the register and forced the store manager to open the safe before fleeing.

Surveillance video provided a partial license plate number of the vehicle that dropped off the suspect, which was registered to Parks. Investigators confirmed he matched the description of the individual in the video. Officers obtained a warrant to search Parks’ home, where they found the blue jumpsuit, boots, and several stolen items. Parks was arrested and later confessed to the robbery.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Greg Winters was prepared to take the case to trial, but Parks pleaded guilty on the morning jury selection was scheduled to begin.

“There is no excuse—at any age—for terrorizing working people with the threat of violence,” said District Attorney Eric Edwards. “This defendant walked into a store where someone was just doing their job and made her fear for her life. That’s not desperation. That’s a choice. And in Houston County, choices like that come with consequences.”