Local News in Brief : Man Gets 11 Years for 2-Week Robbery Spree
Richard Louis Elliott was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison for 13 robberies and one attempted robbery of San Fernando Valley businesses during a two-week period in September.
Elliott, 41, pleaded guilty on Jan. 13. The businesses robbed included Jack’s Donuts in Van Nuys, Baskin-Robbins ice cream stores in North Hollywood and Northridge, and Willard’s Flowers in North Hollywood, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Michelle R. Rosenblatt. The amount stolen varied from $55 to $400, she said.
Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Darlene E. Schempp could have sentenced Elliott to as much as 18 years because of his prior record, Rosenblatt said. Elliott, formerly of Van Nuys, had been on parole since October, 1986, from a six-year sentence for armed robbery.
Elliott’s accomplice, Michael Gorton, 30, of San Diego, pleaded guilty Nov. 30 to 13 counts of robbery. Gorton is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 12. He faces a maximum of 11 years in prison, Rosenblatt said.
In each case, Rosenblatt said, Elliott or Gorton feigned possession of a handgun and demanded money.
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