RIDGELAND, SC (March 20, 2025) – A 61-year-old Georgia man who wore a wig while robbing a Ridgeland grocery store has been sent back to prison.
Ronald Bruce Barnard of Hinesville, Ga., pleaded guilty Wednesday to armed robbery for the April 28, 2024, robbery at the B&T Food Fresh Market on Main Street. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Barnard had previously been convicted and served prison sentences for armed robbery.
“This defendant has a long criminal history and was in the midst of a crime spree when he was apprehended in Ridgeland,” said James Sharpe of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “Barnard is a menace and is now where he belongs.”
A man wearing a gray wig grabbed a jug of water and then grabbed a handful of cash out of the cash register. A produce section worker and another customer chased the man into the parking lot, where they tackled him. They held him there until law enforcement officers arrived. Barnard was still holding money in his hand.
Law enforcement also discovered a stolen cash register from a Georgia gas station in his vehicle.
Bernard’s criminal history dates to 1984 and includes convictions for burglary (1984); obstruction of justice (1986); first-degree forgery (1986); first-degree arson (1988); burglary (1994); armed robbery (1994); armed robbery and burglary (2010).
Sharpe is an assistant solicitor and primarily prosecutes cases in Jasper County. He has been with the Solicitor’s Office since 2023.
