A Calera man charged with robbing a bank on U.S. 280 will spend more than three years in jail after he was found guilty of the crime in a U.S. District Court.

District Court Judge William Steele sentenced Vernon Lacey Riley Jr., 67, of 2024 10th Ave. in Calera, to three years and five months in jail for robbing the Bryant Bank at 5319 U.S. 280 in June 2009.

Riley was also found guilty of robbing a pair of banks near Mobile, according to court documents.

The sentence came after Riley’s defense attorney, Linda Jensen, asked Steele for leniency based on the defendant’s age, medical history and criminal background.

“Our argument to the court for a more lenient sentence was based on his total lack of criminal history prior to the robberies,” Jensen said. “He has a heart condition and a lot of medical problems.

“I’m not saying he robbed those banks to pay for his medical expenses,” she added. “But it’s a lot harder for a 67-year-old man with no experience with the system to serve time than it would be for a 20-year-old.”

U.S. Marshals worked with the Hoover Police Department to arrest Riley at his home on June 18, 2009.

Riley is currently being held in the Baldwin County Correctional Facility.