Spitting on jailer earns Columbia man 6 more years in prison

Rashaud Jamel Lee had not been out of jail long in July 2014 when, armed with a pistol, he robbed a Waffle House in West Columbia one night and one in Cayce the next night to “get drugs and clothes,” he told investigators.

After pleading guilty to armed robbery and assault and battery, Lee was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday. Lexington County judge Deandra L. Jefferson tacked on another six years as punishment for spitting on a jail officer, 11th Circuit Solicitor Donnie Myers said in a news release.

The 22-year-old Columbia man fired two rounds from a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol during the Cayce robbery, July 12, 2014. One shot was directed at a cook who was trying to follow him after he fled the scene, officials said at the time. The second round was fired just as officers with the Cayce Department of Public Safety arrived on the scene.

“Lee is a dangerous and cold-hearted thief who armed himself, frightened innocent citizens and stole money from Lexington businesses. Prison is where he belongs,” Myers said in announcing Lee’s sentence.

This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Spitting on jailer earns Columbia man 6 more years in prison."