Atlanta man sentenced to 20 years after pleading guilty to robbing, assaulting 93-year-old veteran

DEKALB COUNTY, GA–DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston today announced a conviction by guilty plea in the July 2022 case against Samuel Harvey, 62. Harvey brutally attacked and robbed an elderly military veteran in a pharmacy parking lot who later died. 

Immediately following Harvey’s guilty plea on April 4, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Stacey Hydrick sentenced Harvey to 20 years to serve 15 in confinement and the remaining 5 on probation. Because of Harvey’s prior criminal history, he is not eligible for parole, the District Attorney’s Office said.   

Harvey pleaded guilty to Abuse of an Elder Person, Robbery by Force, and Obstruction of Law Enforcement Officers in connection with the attack of Arthur Johnson, 93, on July 25, 2022.  

According to the investigation, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department (DKPD) responded around 2:15 p.m. to a report of a robbery by force at a CVS Pharmacy in the 2400 block of Candler Road.  When officers arrived, they saw a man, later identified as Harvey, running down the street.  Police chased Harvey and arrested him nearby. 

A clerk at the CVS pharmacy said the victim often visited the store.  On the date of the attack, Johnson walked into the store and sat down for a while before returning to his car.  He told police that he fell asleep in his car and woke up to someone choking him. 

A CVS employee came outside and saw Harvey assaulting Johnson.  She asked Harvey what he was doing and he claimed to be helping Johnson get into his car before throwing the elderly man to the ground and running away with Johnson’s phone, wallet and keys. 

The victim refused medical treatment at the time but was hospitalized two weeks after the brutal attack and died four months later, investigators said. 

The case, assigned to the Crimes Against Elder Persons and Adults with Disabilities Unit, was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Franklin Engram, with assistance from Senior Assistant District Attorney Laura Alford, District Attorney Investigator Charles Maupin, and Victim Advocate Tina Williamson.  Former DKPD Detectives Rawlings and Winston, who are now with the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, led the initial investigation.