Armed robber gets 30 years for Burke County crimes

An armed robber who held up two Burke County homeowners had another 30 years tacked onto an already lengthy prison term.

George Michael Hinton, 37, pleaded guilty last week to armed robbery and two counts of burglary for the crimes he committed here last June.

Superior Court Judge James G. Blanchard sentenced him to 20 years in prison for armed robbery and 10 additional years for the burglary charges.

Hinton’s crime spree last summer began when he robbed a Highway 25 North homeowner at knifepoint after asking to use his restroom. The following night, he broke into the Highway 305 home of an elderly woman and held what she thought was a gun to her neck. He forced two others in the home to lie face down on the floor while he stole credit cards, cash and other items before driving away in the woman’s car.

Hinton then made his way to Evans County, where he committed two more armed robberies. He has already been sentenced there to 18 years in prison followed by 22 years on probation.