A Meridian man was sentenced to serve the rest of his life in custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections after his conviction in Kemper County for armed robbery and felony eluding a law enforcement officer.

Christopher L. Grace was convicted by a jury Oct. 17 of two counts of armed robbery and one count of eluding law enforcement after a two-day trial in Kemper County, 10th Circuit District Attorney Bilbo Mitchell announced Wednesday. Grace was found guilty of a 2015 armed robbery of Citizen’s Bank of Philadelphia’s Scooba branch, Mitchell said.

Judge Larry Roberts sentenced Grace as an habitual offender, Mitchell said. Grace was sentenced to serve two life sentences, one for each armed robbery conviction, consecutive to a five-year sentence for felony eluding a law enforcement officer, according to Mitchell.

The case was prosecuted by assistant district attorneys Lisa Howell and Kassie Coleman. The investigation was conducted by the Kemper County Sheriff’s Office.

“I hope this sentence will set a precedent in how defendants who commit armed robbery in the 10th District will be handled and will have the effect of deterring future violent crimes,” Mitchell said in a statement.