Salisbury man sentenced for 2022 Pizza City armed robbery

SALISBURY, Md. – A Salisbury man has been sentenced in connection to an armed robbery that took place last year.

On March 13, 2022, Kendal Smiley stole a handgun from a relative and walked a short distance to Pizza City on Carroll Street. Smiley covered himself in a grey hooded sweatshirt, red sweatpants, and a red plastic mask before entering the business and pointing the handgun at two employees, robbing the store of the money inside the cash register. Smiley then fled the business, threw his clothing in the relative’s backyard trashcan, and fled the area. Police made initial contact with Smiley in the area roughly ten minutes after the robbery took place, but his clothing did not match the description provided by the victims, so he was released from police contact. Smiley then went to a local hotel to use the stolen money to pay for his stay. A short time later, police located the clothing items and mask that had been discarded in the trash can.

Earlier this year, Smiley was convicted of armed robbery, two counts of first degree assault, two counts of firearm use in a violent crime, and related offenses. This week, a judge sentenced Smiley to a total of 50 years with an active sentence of 25 years of incarceration. Five years of that sentence is without the possibility of parole, as mandated by statute. On release, Smiley will be on five years of supervised probation.