The life sentence was the result of the 'Three Strikes Law,' which imposes a mandatory punishment for repeat offenders of serious violent felonies.
A man convicted last year of robbing a Summit gas station at knifepoint was sentenced Thursday to life in prison as a result of the state’s “Three Strikes Law,” the Union County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday.for repeat offenders who have been convicted of two or more previous serious violent felonies in federal or state courts, according to the United States Department of Justice.
Vermilyea had been previously convicted of five separate first-degree robberies in Connecticut in 2009, according to Assistant Prosecutor Estrella Lopez, one of the two assistant prosecutors who handled the case. Vermilyea, armed with a knife, threatened an employee before entering the attendant’s booth, prosecutors said. Once inside, he stole money and cigarettes before fleeing the scene.