Man Who Violently Assaulted Westminster Clerk On Valentine's Day Gets More Prison Time

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

There was no love in the air during a violent Valentine's Day assault in Maryland that left a store clerk bloodied and landed a man behind bars.

Nathaniel Eckard, 26, of Woodbine, will spend a decade in prison after storming into a Westminster Penny Mart on Feb. 14 and going after an employee during a holiday attack.

Masked up, prosecutors say he demanded the clerk empty the register. But instead of walking away with money, prosecutors say, he punched the clerk in the face and body — then ran off empty-handed.

At the time of the attack, Eckard was on probation for a previous conviction on second-degree assault.

As he ran from the store, investigators said Eckard made the fatal mistake of pulling down his mask. That little slip gave police a perfect look at the tattoo on his left hand, which matched his booking photos from a prior arrest.

Fast-forward to Friday, Aug. 22: Eckard stood before Carroll County Circuit Court Judge Richard R. Titus and was sentenced to more than a decade behind bars after pleading guilty to robbery and violating his probation.

Prosecutors said Eckard got 15 years with all but 7 suspended on the robbery charge, plus another 3½ years for the probation violation, totaling 10 years and 6 months in prison. 

He’ll be on five years of supervised probation after release.

“If you commit a violent crime like a robbery in Carroll County there will be serious consequences,” State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker said. “Small business owners should be free to conduct business without the fear of violent felons.”