A Hemet man who robbed two banks in the city and overdosed on drugs after the last holdup was sentenced Tuesday to three years in state prison.
Howard Eugene Curtner, 56, pleaded guilty in August to two counts of robbery. No charges were dismissed under the plea agreement.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Johnson certified the terms and imposed the stipulated sentence.
According to Hemet police, the first robbery occurred on May 5 in the 1600 block of East Florida Avenue. No one was injured, and no weapon was used. Curtner left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to investigators.
The second holdup happened on the afternoon of May 14 in the 4100 block of East Florida Avenue. Hemet police said Curtner demanded an undisclosed of money from a teller, who handed over the cash, after which the defendant walked into the parking lot outside the bank and got into a taxi.
He returned to his residence on Anderson Drive and at some point ingested a large quantity of drugs — investigators declined to say whether they were prescription, over-the-counter or illegal — causing him to pass out, according to police.
Detectives quickly verified the defendant’s residence after the robbery, and SWAT officers deployed to the location, which they surrounded and attempted to initiate contact with Curtner.
Several hours later, the officers forcibly entered the property, where they discovered Curtner unconscious, police said.
He was hospitalized and treated for the overdose, from which he soon recovered.
Curtner had no documented prior felony convictions.