A Carbon County man was sentenced on Friday to a state prison term for a robbery count and an assault on a fellow inmate at the county prison. He also received extra time for violating parole/probation.

Judge Joseph J. Matika sentenced Robert Lee Clifford III, 23, of Lansford, and formerly of Forty Fort, Luzerne County, to serve 18 to 48 months in a state correctional institution on charges of criminal conspiracy — robbery and receiving stolen property.

Before the sentencing Clifford entered a guilty plea to one count of simple assault for an incident on Aug. 3, 2017, at the county prison where he assaulted another inmate. Matika also imposed a state prison term of six to 12 months for violations of his parole/probation on other charges and ran that term consecutive to the other counts. Clifford’s total sentence is 24 to 60 months.

Clifford was charged by Lansford police for an incident on Feb. 1, 2017, in the 100 block of East Patterson Street. Police were dispatched to the area for a reported theft. On scene officers were told by the two teenage victims that Clifford had robbed them and displayed a knife or a sledgehammer or ax. Taken was a purse, wallet and cash.

According to the police report one of the victims said they were there to sell Suboxone. The report said Clifford punched the male teen in the face and then displayed the weapon.

Clifford admitted to a long-term drug addiction problem, saying heroin was his drug of choice.

Clifford said, “I apologize to the victims, everyone. I do need help. It’s time to grow up.”

Matika noted that Clifford has had numerous incidents at the prison, which resulted in misconducts. Those misconducts led to him being transferred to the Luzerne County prison in Wilkes-Barre.

Matika told him, “Your drug addiction has blinded your judgment, everything in your life.”

In addition to the prison term, Matika ordered Clifford to get both drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations, zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use, supply a DNA sample, make total restitution of $1,810.75, attend and successfully complete an anger management course, have no contact with the victims in either case, pay court costs of about $1,000 and when paroled render 100 hours of community service.

He was given credit for 394 days already spent in jail on the charges.

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