Hickory Woman Pleads Guilty, Gets Seven To Ten Years

48-year-old Conya Denise Montgomery of Hickory was sentenced to seven-to-10 years in prison following her conviction during Catawba County Superior Court yesterday (January 18). The Honorable Daniel A. Kuehnert, Superior Court Judge from Burke County, handed down the sentence after Montgomery pleaded guilty to attempted common law robbery, larceny from a person, financial card theft, four counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, and attempted obtaining property by false pretenses.

Montgomery’s sentence was enhanced by her status as an habitual felony. She has prior felony convictions for larceny in November 2021, forgery of an instrument in August 2006, and possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a schedule II controlled substance in September 1999, all in Catawba County.

In March of last year, the defendant tried to get a victim to give her money from an ATM, but the victim refused. The defendant grabbed the victim’s pocketbook and phone before running away. She later was picked up by law enforcement.

In June 2023, the defendant took another person’s debit card and used it to make purchases in excess of $330 at various locations. Several other attempted transactions and transfers of money were declined by the victim’s bank.

A vehicle break-in in August of last year led to the theft of a debit card Montgomery used in an attempt to make purchases at a business. The attempted transactions were declined. Video surveillance footage showed Montgomery attempting to make the purchases.

The cases were investigated by multiple Hickory Police Officers. Assistant District Attorney Howard Wellons handled the prosecution with aid from Legal Assistant Meredith Scott.