Two-time robber gets three years
Bat-swinging offender shown some lenience by judge
Committing two armed robberies with a baseball bat usually lands an offender some pretty hard time behind bars — but Steven Friedrich is no usual offender.
It’s why both the lawyers and the judge agreed a three-year jail term is the best sentence for the 20-year-old first offender.
“I’m satisfied that while this is below the normal range, it is not so lenient that it will bring the administration of justice into disrepute or be contrary to the public interest,” Judge Jim Walsh said in sentencing Friedrich Wednesday at provincial court in St. John’s.
Walsh gave Fiedrich 4 1/2 months pre-trial custody credit, leaving two years and 7 1/2 months on his term.
In sentencing Friedrich, the judge went along with a joint recommendation from defence lawyer Amanda Barfitt and Crown prosecutor Tannis King.
Friedrich pleaded guilty to two counts each of armed robbery and having his face masked.
Walsh said Friedrich’s guilty pleas saved the witnesses the stress of testifying. He said Friedrich is a youthful first-time offender whose drug addiction spun his life out of control and led him to commit unsophisticated robberies.
He said the sentence is not so crushing that Friedrich will lose hope of rehabilitation.
“I hope if you sober up while inside and continue (rehabilitation), we won’t see you again,” Walsh said to Friedrich.
Friedrich robbed the Circle K convenience story in Holyrood on two separate occasions — the first on Sept. 28, 2014, and the second on Oct. 13, 2014.
During the first robbery, which happened about 1:30 a.m., the female clerk pressed the panic button and tried to call police when she saw a man wearing a black ski mask, camouflage jacket and black sweater beating on the locked door with a bat.
Once Friedrich was inside, he ordered the woman to give him money and cigarettes — but only Canadian Classic brand.
“Where’s the (expletive) money? Put the (expletive) money in the bag and I won’t hurt you,” he told the frightened woman.
He stole about $250 and 10 to 12 packs of cigarettes and fled in a silver sedan.
In the October robbery, which happened at 5:47 a.m., Friedrich again used a bat to smash through the store’s door. He demanded money and cigarettes from the male clerk. Friedrich was wearing a red bandana as a mask and a dark hoodie, with the hood up.The clerk gave Friedrich about $100, but refused to give him cigarettes. That’s when Friedrich swung the bat at him and grazed his arm and smashed the countertop debit machine.
Friedrich then ran off with the money, but without the cigarettes.
When Friedrich’s mother and grandmother saw a video of the robberies on the news, they contacted the RCMP and identified Friedrich as the robber.
Police caught up with him Nov. 4, when they pulled over his car. Friedrich admitted he committed the robberies and told police the clothes he had been wearing, as well as the baseball bat, were in a river near his family’s cabin. Police found them two days later.