A Niles man who robbed a pair of Cass County businesses at either gun or knifepoint twice last fall will be spending nearly a quarter of century in prison for his crime spree.

Judge Michael Dodge committed Ralph David Fink II, 39, to the Michigan Department of Corrections for a minimum term of 23 years to a maximum term of 50 years during the Niles man’s appearance in Cass County Friday morning. Fink was punished on four counts of armed robbery, one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of larceny in a building and a single count of resisting/obstructing police.

Fink pleaded guilty to the charges against him in an earlier appearance in court April 11.

The robberies in question occurred during a period between Sept. 29 and Oct. 20, 2015, when Fink robbed the Sunrise Party Store, located on Huntly Road in Niles, and a Marathon Gas Station located on US-12. The Niles man robbed the stores twice, hitting the party store on Sept. 29 and Oct. 20 and the gas station on Oct. 2 and Oct. 16.

Fink threatened employees at each establishment with a weapon, producing a gun during the roberry at the Marathon station and a knife during the other three thefts, Dodge said.

“In each instance, you then left the establishment with all the money you could get,” the judge said.

As a result of the string of crimes, local police officers began doing surveillance outside several local establishments that would be likely targets of an armed robbery, Dodge said.

On Oct. 20, a Cass County detective was monitoring the Sunrise Party Store when Fink robbed the business. Upon exit his from the store, police descended on the location to apprehend the suspect.

“You ran from them but they chased you and apprehended you when you were struck by one of the police cars soon after the robbery,” Dodge said. “Money and a knife was located in the vicinity of your arrest. That’s the occasion that prompted you, at the time of your guilty plea, to say you wish the police had just shot you. You were that desperate.”

The woman serving as Fink’s getaway driver, April Dawson, was arrested a short distance away. Dawson was served two concurrent prison terms of three to 20 years for armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery during her sentencing hearing in Cassopolis May 20.

At the time of the robbery, Fink was serving on parole, having been released from an 11-year prison sentence in Ohio for a string of six robberies Muskingum County that occurred in the fall of 2001.

According to Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz, Fink’s recent crime spree was fueled by his drug addictions. The defendant told police he was drinking and doing cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin while committing the offenses.

The prosecutor asked the judge to impose the 23-year minimum prison sentence recommended by the probation department, he said.

“I’m hopeful he will find sobriety there,” Fitz said. “I’m hoping he will come out a very different person and he will use those years in prison to do something good and not just

waste away.”

Fink addressed the court as well during the hearing, apologizing for his behavior.

“If I wasn’t on drugs, I wouldn’t be here right now,” he said.

Fink was given 235 days credit for time already served in jail.

Also sentenced Friday:

• Christopher Lee Taylor, 32, of Cassopolis, to a minimum of two years to a maximum of 15 years in prison for possession of methamphetamine.

• Amberly Dawn Daniels, 30, of Marcellus, to two years of probation for possession of methamphetamine.

• Justin William Huffman, 25, of Vandalia, to 365 days in jail for kidnapping — custodial interference.

• Trever Michael Wallace, 27, of Eau Claire, to a minimum of 30 months to a maximum of 15 years in prison for assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer.

• Leonard Martin Baldwin, 41, of Dowagiac, to one year of probation for possession of a firearm by a felon.