GARDEN GROVE : Pair in Attempted Robbery Sentenced

Two men, whose bungled armored car robbery in Garden Grove left the lone driver seriously wounded, were each sentenced Friday to nine years in prison.

The defendants, Thomas Chaney, 28, and Gilbert Green, 22, both of Ontario, were found guilty earlier this year of attempted murder, second-degree robbery and participation in a crime where a gun was used.

However, with credit for the time they have already served in Orange County Jail, both men will be eligible for parole in about 3 1/2 years, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Arnold Westra, who prosecuted them.

Westra said that the sentences were largely governed by mandatory guidelines.

“You can’t change the rules,” he said. “In this particular case, because what happened is so serious, it just seems like the sentence for these two is not enough.”

A third man, Marc Anthony Blount, 25, was sentenced in January to 25 years in prison for his role as the triggerman in the attempt to rob the armored car while it was stopped in front of a convenience store on May 16, 1991.

The armored car driver, John Statkus, 25, was filling an automated teller machine when the three tried to rob him. He was shot once in the head and once in the neck, before the men fled without any of the $185,400 in the truck.

At first, doctors did not expect Statkus to survive. Fortunately, with the help of physical therapy, Statkus has made considerable progress, said his wife, Carrie, who also played a key role in his recovery. She attended the trials and addressed the court Friday.