Article: BB gun center of court ruling

Whether a BB gun is considered a dangerous weapon was at the center of an Iowa Court of Appeals decision Wednesday that reversed a Dubuque man's robbery conviction.

Alfred L. Lucius, 36, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for first-degree robbery in 2006. His judgment was reversed and remanded to second-degree robbery, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

On Dec. 19, 2006, Benjamin T. O'Malley and Walter Link finished their shifts at a bar and grill in Dubuque when they decided to buy marijuana, according to court documents. They waited behind a Bluff Street building when Lucius approached the pair with a BB gun and yelled "This is a bust." They heard what sounded like a gun ...

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