Four years to the day that he walked into a Boost Mobile on Hepburn Street and held the clerk at gunpoint as he robbed the store, Jesse Derick Giddings was sentenced to 14 to 28 years in state prison by Judge William Carlucci Tuesday morning.

In September, Giddings, 37, was found guilty of robbery, theft, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person in relation to that incident and another robbery that occurred at a Family Dollar on West Fourth Street, following a two day trial.

During the trial, Giddings was implicated in a third robbery that occurred at the Loyalsock Subway just before 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2020.

Giddings faces charges for that incident, as well as a fourth robbery at Choice Tobacco that ocurred on Nov. 25, 2020.

“Since that night, I have experienced extreme fear and anxiety,” the clerk at Boost Mobile said during a pre-recorded video statement presented at the hearing.

The clerk said that since the incident, she has been diagnosed with PTSD, major depressive disorder, as well as generalized anxiety disorder, and is no longer the outgoing, “larger than life” personality she once was.

“I can’t believe an incident that lasted only a few minutes changed my life this much,” she said.

“I never want anyone to fear for their life, especially at work,” the clerk said in the video.

“I know this happened for a reason. Maybe it was to make me stronger and maybe so that I can help others,” the victim said.

Still, she said she wishes for only the best for Giddings moving forward.

“I do forgive you. I have to, because if I don’t, I’ll never heal,” she said.

The clerk from the Family Dollar incident was slated to offer a victim impact statement, but was unable to attend due to falling ill, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Welickovitch said.

Calling himself one of the county prosecutors that “most strongly believes in rehabilitation,” Welickovitch urged Carlucci to hand down the strictest sentence allowed by law.

In arguing for an aggravated sentence, Welickovitch pointed to the basic elements of each crime, including the fact that all of the victim clerks were women in vulnerable positions that were accosted using a handgun to instill fear and elicit compliance from them.

Giddings has had nine arrests throughout his adult life and several infractions since being incarcerated at the Lycoming County Prison in 2020, Welickovitch said, stressing the robberies were committed less than a year after he was released on parole.

“He has shown himself to be incapable of existing in society and following the rules,” the ADA said.

“The protection of the public must be the foremost consideration here,” he told the judge.

Welickovitch argued that all sentences should run consecutively, arguing that, “there’s no reason to give a bulk discount on crimes such as these.”

Defense Attorney Robert Hoffa countered that the pre-sentence report, reflecting that Giddings had been passed through five different foster facilities, painted a picture of a “troubled young man.”

“He is a product of society. Jesse is Jesse,” Hoffa told Carlucci, arguing that “two pages of prison write-ups should not reflect his character.”

“You didn’t hear from his side, his perspective, but Mr. Giddings has expressed his concern for the victims, even as he disputes having committed the robberies,” Hoffa said.

He added that Giddings intends to appeal his convictions.

Describing the evidence as “overwhelming,” Carlucci said that the only factor he could find for a mitigated sentence was Giddings’ age.

“It’s difficult for me to believe that someone your age couldn’t find a way to turn your life around,” the judge said, while acknowledging that Welickovitch’s arguments were not invalid.

“This has to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen,” he said, musing over the fact that the robberies were committed while Giddings was under electronic monitoring, also calling the monetary value acquired by Giddings, “absolutely insignificant.”

“These crimes were deplorable. You came very close to ruining the lives of these clerks,” Carlucci said to Giddings.

“It will take years for them to bounce back, if they’re ever able to,” he said, while acknowledging that the acts very well could have been worse, having resulted in the loss of someone’s life.

In addition to his prison sentence, Giddings is required to undergo a one year probation period when he is released, as well as to pay restitution in the amount of $220 to Family Dollar and $7,266.84 to Boost Mobile.