Wednesday, May 17, 2017
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Before he was sentenced to four years in prison for aggravated robbery and other charges, Robert McGuire tried to explain to a judge Tuesday he was under the sway of drugs so much it blurred the lines between wrong and right.
Judge Anthony D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court disagreed, saying while he has compassion for addicts, he also realizes they can cross a line, which McGuire did when he and another defendant went on a mini-crime spree earlier this year that culminated in the armed robbery of a pizza shop in Boardman.
“If you’re an addict and you think you can take advantage of people or terrorize people, no,” Judge D’Apolito said. “Don’t go down that road with me.”
Prosecutors were recommending a four-year sentence for McGuire, 26, of Centervale Avenue in Boardman, after he pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated robbery with a firearm specification, attempted burglary, trespass into a habitation and other theft-related charges.
Police said McGuire and Alyssa Heydle, 19, of Williamson Avenue, Youngs-town, robbed the Pizza Joe’s on Market Street on Jan. 21 with McGuire holding a gun to an employee’s head while Heydle went behind the counter and took money from the cash register.
The pair also were accused of breaking into several businesses at Southern Park Mall before they were arrested Jan. 24 by Struthers police inside a vacant home.
Heydle’s case is pending, according to court records.
Assistant Prosecutor Nick Brevetta said prison is necessary for McGuire because of the severity of the crimes he committed and so society knows that if you commit those types of crimes, you will be punished.
Defense attorney Tony Meranto said he told his client he would be going to prison, but he added that his client also admitted his guilt and took responsibility for his crimes.
McGuire apologized and said his addiction to drugs led him to do the things he did. He said all he could think about when he was in the throes of addiction was getting to the next high.
“I know that I really messed up,” McGuire said. “I was in a really bad place. I was using as lot of drugs. I can’t believe the things I did. When I think about it now, it’s like an out-of-body experience. Things weren’t black and white. There’s no right or wrong. You’re just trying to feed your need.”
Judge D’Apolito said he tries to be compassionate to addicts – in fact, he said, he has been criticized by some for being too compassionate – but he said holding a gun to someone’s head or breaking into someone’s home or business and taking their sense of security from them are things that cannot be excused by addiction.
“It is black and white. There is right or wrong,” Judge D’Apolito said.
Prosecutors said they would not oppose a motion for early release after McGuire serves at least a year in prison, but Judge D’Apolito said he was not sure he would be inclined to grant an early release.