SALEM — A Revere man will spend eight to 10 years in prison after admitting yesterday in court to holding up a Salem Game Stop store and a Saugus convenience store last year.
During a hearing yesterday in Salem Superior Court, William Nickerson, 28, pleaded guilty to three counts of armed robbery while masked.
Judge Timothy Feeley went along with an agreement reached by Nickerson's lawyer, Mark Schmidt, and prosecutor Michael Hickey to impose the eight- to 10-year term.
The charges stem from a string of holdups in May 2008, including the Mother's Day holdup at the Salem store.
On the afternoon of May 11, 2008, Nickerson walked into the store and asked about some videos. At one point, he turned his back on the employees, and when he turned around again, he was wearing a bandana and holding a gun.
Nickerson demanded not cash but two Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles worth about $400 each at the time. He then fled toward a waiting car parked outside, yelling, "Go, go, go," as he jumped in, witnesses told police.
A few days after the Salem holdup, a man with a similar description was seen holding up the Lincoln Avenue Market in Saugus. Police were able to get a partial license plate number and traced it to Nickerson's girlfriend.
Nickerson confessed to the holdups, as well as another holdup in Chelsea, and police found what turned out to be a replica pistol that they believe was used in the holdups.
Nickerson's been in custody for a little more than a year and will receive credit for that time.
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