Man Gets 49 Years for String of Robberies

A Glendale man dubbed the “Bad Tooth Bandit” was sentenced to 49 years in prison Tuesday for a string of robberies that plagued San Fernando Valley businesses in 1989.

Jack Leroy Scruggs, 39, received the sentence in Van Nuys Superior Court for 23 counts of robbery and two counts of burglary stemming from a seven-month crime spree that victimized the operators of small businesses such as pizza parlors and mini-markets.

Authorities said many of the victims identified Scruggs because of his missing and rotten teeth.

“So puts to an end a one-man crime wave which terrorized the business people of this community for many, many months,” Superior Court Judge Darlene E. Schempp said after sentencing Scruggs.

Scruggs, who has AIDS, according to his attorney, showed no reaction to the lengthy sentence.

On Dec. 17, a jury convicted Scruggs of 22 counts of robbery.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Carole Chizever said Scruggs also admitted to two prior burglaries and a robbery.

Scruggs was arrested Sept. 17, 1989, after a witness wrote down the license of a car used in a robbery of a record store in Van Nuys.

Police said that in most of the prior robberies, the suspect lifted his shirt to display a gun tucked in his waistband and demanded cash. No one was hurt.

Scruggs is believed to have fled each holdup with a few hundred dollars, which police say he used to support his addiction to methamphetamines.