Man Who Robbed Gas Stations In Mentor, Concord Township Sentenced To Prison

John Lane said he doesn't really know why he robbed three businesses in Mentor, Concord Township and Willoughby in the span of three days.

"It was a weird week and I definitely made some bad choices," Lane told Lake County Common Pleas Judge Richard Collins Jr. when he was sentenced Tuesday morning.

Lane, 34, of Mentor, pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery and another charge of attempted failing to comply with an officer Collins' court.

Lane suggested that part of the problem was he was not taking his psychological medication at the time.

"I was off my meds and I wasn't in my right state of mind, and I realize that now," he said.

Lane's mother, as well as his attorney, Randy Klammer, also suggested that Lane may have been rattled when he caused a woman's death during a car crash February 2012 in Mentor. He later pleaded guilty to a charge of vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.

"He couldn't live with the fact that he killed somebody's grandmother," Lane's mother told Collins. "I think that whole tragedy is why we're here."

Collins ultimately accepted a joint recommendation by Klammer and the Lake County Prosecutor's Office and sentenced Lane to 59 months in prison -- 48 for the robberies and 11 for fleeing from police.

Lane was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims.

Lane robbed a pair of gas stations in Lake County on March 25, 2012 -- a BP gas station in Concord Township and then a Shell station in Mentor.

In both instances, Lane told the clerk he had a weapon and demanded money from the register. He then took the money and ran away.

Two days later, Lane also robbed a CVS Pharmacy in Willoughby -- once again pretending to have a weapon, Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Karen Kowall said.

The fourth charge stems a police chase on March 14. A Kirtland Hills police officer tried to pull Lane over because he had warrants for his arrest. However, instead of stopping, Lane drove away -- reaching speeds of more than 110 mph, Kowall said.

Lane was ultimately arrested after a lengthy car and foot chase with police in Huron County on March 29.

A Wakeman police officer spotted Lane's car, ran his license plate and found the Lane had two warrants issued for his arrest.

When the officer tried to pull Lane over, he took off, driving as fast as 110 mph.

Huron County Sheriff’s Capt. Ted Patrick told the Sandusky Register that Lane threw both money and drugs out of his car window while trying to escape.

Lane finally crashed into a pole on a side street in Norwalk. Then he leaped from his car and continued running. Deputies followed as he dove into a nearby creek, ran through woods and tussled with deputies before he was finally tasered and arrested.

As a result of the chase, Lane was later convicted of one count of failure to comply with police in Huron County Court of Common Pleas and sentenced to one year in prison in July 2012, according to online court records.