CASSOPOLIS — Bernard Gaston will spend the next nearly seven years in prison after being sentenced Friday in Cass County Circuit Court for his role in robbing the Sunrise Liquor store in Howard Township.

Gaston, 41, of Yankee Street in Niles, pleaded guilty to armed robbery causing serious injury and conspiracy to commit armed robbery causing serious injury and was sentenced to concurrent terms of 81 months to 40 years in prison. He has credit for 177 days already served and must pay $1,548 in fines and costs and $400 in restitution.

Gaston and two co-defendants, Tajah Latrece Martin and Lori Lynn Woods, robbed the Sunrise Liquor party store on Huntly Road in Howard Township on April 23 and injured the clerk. They took $400 in the robbery. Martin and Woods were sentenced to prison earlier this month.

“This was a brutal crime. He caused serious injury to [the clerk] which will affect him for a long time to come,” said Chief Assistant Prosecutor Tiffiny Vohwinkle. “Mr. Gaston doesn’t seem to care how much it affected him both with physical and mental injuries. He was just trying to earn a living.”

Cass County Circuit Judge Mark Herman noted that the 81-month sentence was below the guidelines, and Gaston should consider himself fortunate that his attorney worked out a plea agreement with the prosecutor. Gaston’s past record includes five felonies and nine misdemeanor convictions.

“The store owner said he could identify you because you came in regularly,” the judge said. “You said you didn’t intend to assault him, but the video showed that you and your codefendants did assault him. … Look at how much of your life you have thrown away for $400.”

Also Friday, a Lawton man involved in a three-county marijuana growing operation was sentenced to prison.

Joseph Frank Lorello, 55, of Lawton, pleaded no contest to conducting a criminal enterprise and was sentenced to 18 months to 20 years in prison boot camp. He has credit for six days already served and must pay $5,758 in fines and costs.

Lorello was arrested Sept. 11, 2018, after a search of properties he owns in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties uncovered over 800 marijuana plants, cash and other items. He had claimed that he was a medical marijuana caregiver.

Vohwinkle said Lorello was making substantial amounts of money on his marijuana business and had $200,000 in his bank account. She noted that although voters legalized marijuana in the November 2018 election, his actions would still constitute a crime.

“His arrogance got the best of him and his attorney got a good deal for him,” she said.

Defense attorney Lanny Fisher painted a much different picture of what happened.

“He is in his 50s and has no prior record,” he said. “It bothers me that he is painted as a person with all these properties. He was growing medical marijuana that saved people’s lives. He was a legitimate caregiver.”

Fisher said that the case has caused his wife to divorce him and his son and daughter to turn against him. He added that Lorello’s operation was not as big as the prosecution claimed and that many of the plants counted were small ones in dixie cups.

“Others have done similar things and gotten 90 days in jail,” he said. “He faces prison for giving legal medical marijuana.”

“It’s been a rough 13 months,” Lorello said. “I’ve lost everything, my kids, my wife, money and apparently my freedom.”

During sentencing, Judge Herman said he noticed the differences in the accounts from the prosecutors and the defense.

“I’ve gotten two different stories. I don’t know if the reality is somewhere in the middle,” Herman said. “I think there is some truth in the matter that you jumped the gun [before marijuana became legal].”

“A number of people were interviewed, and obviously, you were involved in some sort of criminal enterprise,” he added. “I don’t know what happened, whether it got out of control or it was the lure of money.”