Judge Lenient To Man In 4 Armed Robberies

Sun., Dec. 21, 1997

From Staff And Wire Reports

Despite a prosecutor’s recommendation that he be sentenced to at least 34 years in prison for robbery, a homeless man was given a six-year term by a judge who said his sad circumstances warranted the more lenient sentence.

Roland Grimes, 62, was sentenced Friday by King County Superior Court Judge Michael Spearman for four armed robberies of businesses in the suburbs east of Seattle.

The death of Grimes’ father, the loss of his home and his inability to provide for his ill wife “created a compulsion sufficient to provide a complete defense,” Spearman said.

“The evidence is clear that the defendant is not one who is inclined to engage in criminal behavior,” he said.

In a statement to the court, Grimes said he was “deeply ashamed.”

“I really hate what I did,” said Grimes, who was found living in a car with his wife in July. “I’d like to ask the court to consider mercy.”

Grimes was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims.

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