DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) -- A judge has sentenced a south Alabama man to 35 years in prison for stealing a meal from a Waffle House restaurant.
The Dothan Eagle reports that Houston County Judge Brad Mendheim sentenced 57-year-old Cornelius Newman of Dothan on Tuesday.
A prosecutor says police arrested Newman in November 2010 after he refused to pay for a meal at a Waffle House and pointed a shotgun at workers. He later had a brief standoff with police as they tried to arrest him during a traffic stop.
A defense attorney asked for a lighter sentence, arguing that Newman has mental problems. But prosecutors say Newman didn't use an insanity defense during his trial and deserved a longer term.
Jurors convicted Newman of first-degree robbery in April.