John Hayes found guilty of gas station robbery, deli robbery try, DA says

A Queens man faces 25 years to life in prison after a Nassau County jury found him guilty on all charges related to a 2013 gas station robbery and an attempted deli robbery, Nassau County prosecutors said.

John Hayes, 44, was found guilty Thursday of first- and second-degree robbery, first- and second-degree attempted robbery, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to a news release from the office of acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.

Hayes is scheduled for sentencing before Supreme Court Justice William Donnino on Dec. 11.

On Dec. 4, 2013, Hayes and another man robbed a Hempstead gas station at gunpoint, prosecutors said. Hayes was seen fleeing in a U-Haul van and was stopped shortly after the robbery by Hempstead Village police.

Hayes and a co-defendant were arrested; another suspect allegedly fled the van and was in possession of a handgun when he was arrested nearby.

Police then connected Hayes and others to an earlier attempted robbery of a deli in Roosevelt.

Proceeds from the gas station were about $100, police said.

Singas said Hayes "terrorized the employees and patrons of two local businesses" and she praised the efforts of Nassau County police and Hempstead Village police for their work.