Luzerne County Man Convicted in String of Area Bar-Restaurant Robberies
By Jim Melwert
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- A Hazleton, Pa. man has been convicted for his part in a 2013 robbery in Blue Bell, Pa.
His attempted getaway from that robbery, and the ensuing manhunt, shut down Montgomery County Community College for a day.
Defendant Tyrice Griffin, 42, was found guilty of nine felony charges for taking part in three restaurant and bar robberies, including the November 2013 robbery of the Whitpain Tavern.
Prosecutor Stew Ryan says this is a "second strike" for Griffin, so he's facing many years behind bars.
"A ten-year mandatory minimum penalty on the three robbery and the three conspiracy-to-robbery charges, and I'll certainly be seeking a consecutive, lengthy state prison sentence," Ryan tells KYW Newsradio.
After the Whitpain Tavern robbery, Griffin had to run away on foot when he crashed his getaway car on the campus of Montgomery County Community College. The manhunt had residents on high alert and forced the college to cancel classes that day.
In addition to the Whitpain Tavern, Griffin was also found guilty of robbing the Belevdere Inn, in Lancaster, and Arooga's Sports Bar and Grille, in Camp Hill, Pa.