A Long Beach, Calif., man who pleaded guilty to robbing two Lewiston convenience stores at gunpoint last year will spend as much as a year in prison before a 2nd District judge will consider him for probation.

Judge Jeff M. Brudie sentenced Chris A. Prelle, 59, to five to 10 years in prison Wednesday for the strong-arm robberies last fall. But Brudie retained jurisdiction in the case, meaning Prelle will be enrolled in rehabilitation programs aimed at giving inmates the skills they need to successfully complete probation upon their release from prison.

Defense attorney Lawrence Moran asked the judge to follow the recommendation of a presentence investigation and impose a term of probation. He also argued that retaining jurisdiction wasn’t appropriate since it is typically used for prisoners with substance abuse issues, and Prelle has no such history. Brudie agreed, but said the severity of Prelle’s crimes warranted at least some time in prison.

According to court documents, Prelle wore a mask and brandished a loaded .38-caliber revolver when he robbed the Liberty Mart in North Lewiston on Oct. 27 and the Xpress Mart on Bryden Avenue on Nov. 2, making away with several hundred dollars in each case. Moscow police caught up to Prelle during a traffic stop shortly after the second robbery, where he admitted robbing the Xpress Mart.

He later pleaded guilty to both robberies, and apologized at Wednesday’s sentencing hearing for all the trouble he’s caused. Moran noted that Prelle had no prior criminal history, and spent 10 years in the military before working in the aircraft inspection business in California. At the time of the robberies, he had been living with his sister in Clarkston while he was on disability.

As part of his sentence, Prelle will have to pay restitution to the clerks he robbed and the owners of the stores, as well as fines and court costs.