A judge on Thursday sentenced a Stratford man to five years behind bars in connection to the gunpoint robbery of a Shelton gas station in December.
But, in a way, 22-year-old George Siler will carry a life sentence. His legal troubles prevented him from seeing his dad, who died from cancer while he was in jail.
“I couldn’t be there to say last goodbyes,” a remorseful Siler told Judge Richard Arnold court Thursday (June 28).
Siler had pleaded guilty in April to first-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery.
A plea bargain in the case called for the sentence imposed by Judge Arnold at Superior Court in Milford.
In court, Assistant State’s Attorney Charles Stango said that Siler was unlike many other defendants — because he has a family that cares about him.
“Mr. Siler is different to many of the young men who come through here in that he has a family here that cares,” Stango said, looking back to four members of Siler’s family in the gallery of the courtroom. “I would hope Mr. Siler learns from this. Perhaps at 22 years old, not all is lost.”
Siler and another Stratford man, Anthony Parowski, robbed the Buck Stop convenience store at 429 Shelton Ave. the night of Dec. 9, police said.
A warrant in the case says Siler went into the store, yelled “Give me the money! Give me the money!” at the clerk, and fired a shot into the floor inside the store.
The pair made off with $1,300, according to the warrant.
Parowski took a plea deal in the case last month and faces four years behind bars when he is sentenced July 18, according to court documents.
In court Thursday Siler’s lawyer, Joseph Merly, acknowledged that his client has a “good, tight, supportive background.”
“It’s an extremely unfortunate situation Mr. Siler finds himself at this point in his life,” Merly said.
Siler told Judge Arnold he’s “not a bad person” and that he’ll have to think about his mistakes for a “very long time.”
“I’m very sorry for what I have done,” Siler told the judge. “There’s no way to justify the fact of what I did. At all.”
“I must change and make something positive of myself, starting where I am now,” Siler said.
Before imposing the agreed-upon sentence — a 12-year prison term to be suspended after Siler serves five years, then five years of probation — Arnold told Siler he’ll have a lot to deal with going forward.
“Obviously you’ve already suffered punishment in addition to what I’m imposing today, as in the things upon your conscience regarding your father,” Judge Arnold said. “And that punishment will last a long time after the punishment I impose because you have to live with that for the rest of your life.”
“That’ll be a heavier burden on you than the term of incarceration I’m imposing today,” the judge went on.
“You have people who care,” Judge Arnold told Siler. “The question is … do you care about them?”
