Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON STATE : $337 Heist His ‘3rd Strike’; Man Gets Life

A 29-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison because he robbed an espresso stand operator in Seattle. Paul Rivers was convicted of second-degree robbery for snatching a bag filled with $337 from the operator, who was on his way to the bank. The felony conviction places Rivers under Washington’s new “three strikes, you’re out” law, which mandates life imprisonment without parole for criminals who have committed three or more certain types of felonies. Rivers also has convictions for attempted robbery in 1985, second-degree robbery in 1987 and second-degree assault in 1990, prosecutors said.