The longtime cab driver who was robbed at gun-point while taking a fare says he is glad the thief is going to prison for the next 10 to 30 years.

Kent County Circuit Judge James Robert Redford sentenced 51-year-old Carl Smith after he pleaded guilty to armed robbery of a Calder City cab driver near Alpine Avenue NW and Three Mile Road on Dec. 14.

Prosecutors dropped charges of carjacking and repeat offender status in exchange for the plea. The 63-year-old victim said Smith pointed a gun at him, took his money and then drove off with the taxi, abandoning it near Fulton Street and Eastern Avenue SE.

The driver said despite the threats, he still likes driving a cab. "You can't let it bother you," he said.

http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/07/calder_city_cab_driver_relieve.html