Man gets 5 years for Marysville robberies

A 21-year-old transient who robbed two women over the age of 65 and a Covillaud Elementary School custodian was sentenced Monday in Yuba County Superior Court to five years in prison.

In committing the crimes, Tzadok Ben-Israel collected three strikes in four days and could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of another felony under the Three Strikes law, Judge Kathleen O'Connor ruled.

On Dec. 9, Ben-Israel snatched a purse from the shoulder of a 72-year-old Marysville woman as she approached her Seventh Street home and rode away on a bicycle with items valued at $250.

The woman, who suffered minor injuries, told investigators she has lived in Marysville for 30 years and had never felt threatened.

Now, she said, "I'm scared to death," according to a Yuba County Probation Department report.

The night before, Ben-Israel entered a portable classroom at the school where the custodian, a man in his 50s, was cleaning. He demanded money and said, "I'm going to shoot you."

Ben-Israel held what appeared to be either a .22-caliber pistol or a toy, the custodian told police.

The custodian told Ben-Israel he had no money, then said, "Do what you got to do." He then pushed Ben-Israel out the door of the classroom with the wand of a vacuum cleaner, the report said.

On Dec. 11, Ben-Israel approached a 68-year-old woman on a Marysville street and said, "Give me your purse and cell phone and I won't shoot you." The woman surrendered items worth $119.

A plastic gun was found nearby when police arrested Ben-Israel. It was unclear if he used a real gun in any of the robberies.

When O'Connor said she was prepared to give Ben-Israel seven years, Public Defender Ben Wirtschafter asked for a shorter prison sentence, citing Ben-Israel's youth, his early admission of guilt and his drug addiction.

"This is a young man who can be reached," Wirtschafter told the judge.

O'Connor agreed to shorten the sentence after Deputy District Attorney Melanie Bendorf said Ben-Israel had three previous felonies on his record, not six as the judge had thought.

The three previous felonies were drug offenses.

In a jail interview, Ben-Israel told a probation officer he robbed because he needed money for food and shelter. He said he "sees voices" but apparently has never received mental health treatment, the report said.

Bendorf argued for the longer sentence.

"This is not just a young man down on his luck," she told the judge. Ben-Israel deliberately targeted older victims smaller than himself, she said.

Ben-Israel will have to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Rob Young at 749-4710 or at ryoung@appealdemocrat.com.