A man who robbed a bartender at a local hotel was sent to jail Wednesday for 18 months.
Michael Langdon pleaded guilty in May in Fort Macleod provincial court to a charge of robbery.
Sentencing was postponed until Wednesday so a pre-sentence report could be prepared to provide the judge with information about the accused’s background and the crime.
Court was told in May that about 10 p.m. Feb. 4 Langdon told the bartender at the Claresholm Motor Inn to withdraw $1,000 from the ATM.
The bartender refused.
Langdon asked again, and the bartender again refused.
Langdon told the bartender they could do it the easy way, or the hard way.
The bartender asked what Langdon meant by that statement.
“Mr. Langdon said, ‘What if I put a gun to your head?'” Crown prosecutor Clayton Giles told court.
The bartender then withdrew $1,000 from the ATM and gave it to Langdon, who left the bar through the back door.
The bartender, who knew Langdon, told police the other man appeared to be drunk or stoned.
When police arrested Langdon he told them he had been “on a bender” and did not remember what he did with the $1,000.
The Crown told court Langdon has a criminal record that includes convictions in 1999 for theft, drug possession and being unlawfully at large; in 2005 for assault; and 2014 for break-and-enter.
The Crown and defence lawyer John Dziadyk made a joint sentencing submission of 18 months in jail.
Judge Pharo followed the submission, and gave Langdon 1.5 times credit for the time he had already spent in custody, leaving 96 days to be served.
“It appears to be somewhat impulsive,” Judge Pharo said of the robbery.
Langdon must also provide a DNA sample that will be kept in a national databank.