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Friday, February 6, 2026

Prison Time Imposed on Armed Robbery Defendants

ZANESVILLE, OH -

On January 21, 2026, two of three defendants in an armed robbery case were sentenced by Judge Gerald Anderson. Judge Anderson sentenced Connor Milner, 24, and Marcus Tracey, 24. Milner was sentenced to 9 years in prison while Tracey was sentenced to 50 hours of community service, 3 years of community control, and 3 years of reserved prison time.

Prior to sentencing Milner and Tracey, Judge Anderson sentenced one other man involved in the case, Colton Sims, to 7 years in prison.

The three co-defendants admitted guilt and were sentenced on the following charges:

Colton D. Sims:

1. Aggravated Robbery with a Firearm Specification

2. Having Weapons While Under Disability

Connor J. Milner:

1. Aggravated Robbery with a Firearm Specification

2. Tampering with Evidence

3. Attempted Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle

4. Having Weapons While Under Disability

Marcus A. Tracey:

1.Robbery

Case Details:

On September 9, 2025, the Zanesville Police were dispatched in reference to a caller who reported being robbed at gunpoint.

The victim was heading home and prior to reaching a four-way stop a blue Nissan swerved from behind him to in front of him and stopped. After the Nissan stopped three white males attempted to carjack the victim.

The Zanesville Police Department investigation ultimately proved that the victim had recently purchased his vehicle. Prior to the purchase, Connor Milner had attempted to buy the same vehicle from its previous owner.

When Milner didn’t pay, the previous owner sold it to the victim.

Milner had previously been complaining about the car situation to Sims and Tracey. He told both men that his car had been stolen, leaving out that it was never his car and he did not pay for it.

On the day of the robbery, Milner, Sims and Tracey were in Tracey’s car driving to the river to go fishing when Milner spotted the car and told Tracey to cut it off.

Milner and Sims jumped out of the car, and Sims grabbed an AR15 pistol otherwise legally kept in the vehicle by Tracey.

While Sims held the victim at gunpoint, Milner attempted to drag him out of his vehicle while punching him in the face. The victim was able to get the car into drive and pull away, with Milner only obtaining his phone and necklace.

Tracey then drove the men to a house on Ridge Ave, where they discarded the phone, and where the police shortly caught up with them.

Sentencing Factors:

In this case, very different sentences were recommended and handed down to different defendants. The sentences handed down relied heavily on prior record and the individual’s criminal intent in this particular case.

Connor Milner knew that the vehicle was not his, and that there was not any type of valid dispute with the man driving that vehicle.

Because of Milner’s lies, Colton Sims and Marcus Tracey believed – wrongly – that the vehicle had been stolen. While it does not excuse their actions, their criminal intent was less than Milner’s.

There were two important differences in the sentences for Sims and Tracey. First, Sims was a convicted felon who was not permitted to handle a firearm in the first place. Second, Tracey was carrying the firearm because he had previously been the victim of an unprovoked shooting that did not involve any other type of criminal activity, and he was legally allowed to carry a firearm at the time. Finally, Tracey was honest about the entire situation as well.

These factors combined and led to sentences that were different, but which reflected the individual criminal histories, knowledge, and criminal intent possessed by each of the different defendants.

“Armed street confrontations are not behavior which will be tolerated or accepted in Muskingum County,” according to APA Litle.

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