GREENVILLE — The man who held up the Family Dollar store in Greenville in October has pleaded guilty to the crime in Darke County Common Pleas Court.

On Thursday morning, Shane C. Rayburn, 24, of Greenville, entered a plea of guilty before Judge Jonathan P. Hein on a charge of robbery, a second-degree felony.

Rayburn was immediately sentenced to serve four years in prison and pay restitution of $141 to the Family Dollar store, 300 Martin St. Rayburn also was ordered to pay court costs.

Rayburn entered the Family Dollar store on Oct. 28 and told clerks that he had a gun in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt and demanded money. The employees believed he had a gun and gave him $141 from the cash register.

Rayburn then fled the scene, and he was arrested two days later. He confessed to the robbery and admitted that he told the clerks he had a gun, but he claimed to law enforcement that he never actually had a gun. He said he needed the money for heroin.

Evidence from the robbery was found, but no gun was ever located. The charge was accordingly reduced from aggravated robbery with a firearm to robbery.

Rayburn has been in jail since his arrest, unable to post the $100,000 bond.

Numerous officers from the Greenville Police Department investigated this incident, including Detective Eric N. Roberts. The state’s case was handled by Darke County Prosecuting Attorney R. Kelly Ormsby III. Rayburn was represented by his appointed counsel, Randall E. Breaden, of Greenville.