Man to serve seven years for taxi-driver robberies

A 41-year-old man who left his wallet on the seat of a taxicab after robbing its driver in March 2008 admitted at his sentencing this morning that he wanted to get caught.
Anthony Rowe, who was homeless when he was arrested, confessed he had robbed another cabdriver three weeks earlier. At his sentencing, he apologized for his crimes and said he would rather be in prison than "running around, hurting people."
He told police he was "under the influence of heavy crack cocaine use and alcohol" when he committed the robberies.
"I wanted to get caught," Rowe said. "I was tired of living the way I was living."
New London Superior Court Judge Susan B. Handy sentenced Rowe to 15 years in prison, suspended after seven years served and three years probation for first-degree robbery and third-degree robbery.
On March 2, 2008, he caught a cab at the train station and asked the driver to take him to the homeless shelter on Jay Street. When they arrived, he said he grabbed the driver and demanded money. The driver told police Rowe held a metal object, which he thought was a knife, to his neck. Rowe took $30 and a cell phone from the driver.
Three weeks later, he robbed a second cab driver by choking him from behind and demanding money, according to prosecutor Stephen M. Carney. He fled with $20, but left his wallet on the back seat. The driver identified Rowe in a photo array of suspects.
Defense attorney Bruce McIntyre said Rowe suffers from mental illness and borderline retardation and that he used drugs to "self-medicate."
Handy acknowledged that Rowe has "significant mental health issues that have not been addressed" while noting his history of violent crimes, including the cabbie robberies.
"Both of these taxi cab drivers were completely and totally frightened," she said. "Neither of them knew if they were going to be killed. Put yourself in their position."