Hollywood Addict Gets 18 Years for 17 Holdups
A 31-year-old Hollywood man who, according to his lawyer, had a $1,000-a-day drug habit, was sentenced Friday to more than 18 years in prison for robbing 17 stores in a three-month period.
Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Alan B. Haber sentenced Leslie Craig Hain to 18 years and four months in state prison for a series of armed robberies that occurred between Jan. 11 and April 6, 1987.
Hain’s primary targets were small markets and convenience stores in North Hollywood, Studio City, Van Nuys and Reseda, where he took amounts ranging from $40 to $1,200, authorities said.
Citing the large number of robberies, Deputy Dist. Atty. Michelle Rosenblatt requested that Hain be sentenced to 20 years in state prison.
Hain’s attorney, Sherwin C. Edelberg, noting that Hain had only a 1975 conviction for selling marijuana on his record, asked for a 12-year prison sentence.
Hain could have received a maximum sentence of 33 years and eight months.
He was arrested on April 6, 1987, after a witness noted the license number of his car and called police.
Hain pleaded guilty to all 17 counts May 13.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
