Man held pregnant woman and other Holiday Inn workers at knifepoint, SC officials say

A man walked into a Holiday Inn Express in 2019 and held three employees at knifepoint, including a woman who was nine months pregnant, South Carolina police say.

Armed with a large kitchen knife, he demanded an employee open a safe, then took two cash boxes and fled, authorities say.

“(He) forced the three employees to sit with their backs against a wall so they could not see him depart,” according to an Aug. 2 news release from the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Frank L. Mills Jr., 55, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, was convicted this week of armed robbery, possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime and three counts of kidnapping, the release says.

Suzanne White, a Spartanburg County public defender representing Mills, said they plan to appeal.

“Obviously we were disappointed for him,” White told McClatchy News. “And we’ll file the appeal and see what happens.”

The trial began Monday, July 31, according to officials. By Aug. 2, the jury had delivered a guilty verdict, and the judge handed down four sentences of life in prison without parole, to run concurrently.

Less than two weeks after the robbery at the Spartanburg Holiday Inn in September 2019, Mills was arrested in nearby Union County in connection with a bank robbery, according to WSPA.

One of the employees from the Holiday Inn recognized Mills in a news story about the bank robbery and contacted investigators, authorities said. Union County police had also “recovered a large kitchen knife” upon arresting Mills, the news release said.

Almost 40 years ago, Mills was sentenced to 21 years in prison on similar charges of armed robbery and housebreaking, officials said.

“We are thankful to the jury for ending Mr. Mills’ long violent criminal history in the community,” Assistant Solicitor Spenser Smith said.

Spartanburg is about 90 miles northwest of Columbia.

This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Man held pregnant woman and other Holiday Inn workers at knifepoint, SC officials say."