Eight-day robbery spree nets nine-year prison sentence

A 24-year-old Guilford man who carried out three armed robberies in southeastern Connecticut during an eight-day period in September 2010 admitted at his sentencing Thursday in New London Superior Court that he deserves to be in prison for a long time.

Griffin Mitchell’s father, Robert Mitchell, also stood up to say that his son has a “debt to society.”

Judge Patrick J. Clifford sentenced Mitchell to nine years in prison.

According to the state, Mitchell held up the Subway sandwich shop in Old Saybrook on Sept. 20, 2010, the Mystic Shell in Stonington on Sept. 21 and the Dunkin Donuts in East Lyme on Sept. 28. In all three cases, he told the counter person he had a gun. Mitchell also led police on a pursuit and rammed a police cruiser after the Dunkin Donuts robbery, police said.

Prosecutor David J. Smith and public defender Bruce A. Sturman worked out a deal in which Mitchell pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree robbery, second-degree robbery and first-degree robbery. He faced up to 10 years in prison when he and his attorney went before the judge to argue for a reduced sentence.

Sturman said Mitchell had sought help for a drug problem before he was arrested and received inpatient and outpatient treatment.

“I’ve said to Griffin, ‘You can’t change the past. You have to own up to it and pay your debts. What you can change is the future,’’’ Sturman said.

Mitchell, who had served a previous prison sentence for burglary, said he has been in trouble since he was 18 and until now has treated going to court “like it’s coming into detention for school and stuff.” Sniffling, he said he would never forgive himself for inflicting such fear on the victims and is ashamed of the grief he has caused his own family.

“I’m not going to let my parents and family one day leave the planet thinking they raised this,” he said, pointing to his orange prison jumpsuit and leg irons.

The judge said Mitchell was saying the right things, but that as soon as he picks up drugs, he stops caring.

“You have a drug problem,” Clifford said. “Your problem is endangering the life of others.”

The full sentence imposed by the judge is 15 years in prison, suspended after nine years served and three years probation. The judge also ordered Mitchell to make restitution to the victims.

One of the women robbed by Mitchell wrote a letter to the court saying she is “totally paranoid” and no longer able to work in that setting and is going bankrupt as a result.

“Her life has changed,” said the judge.