ITHACA, NY (WENY) -- A man from Ithaca will serve 30 years in state prison after being convicted of the kidnapping and assault of two men in 2023.

According to Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, Arthur Harriet, 49, assaulted two men during a robbery in September of 2023 in the city of Ithaca. Harriet is accused of assaulting the two men with a machete, threatening them with a shotgun and held them against their will in a dog crate while he stole their property.

A Tompkins County court judge sentenced Harriet to 30 years in state prison, plus five years post-release supervision. Harriet was convicted of two separate charges of kidnapping in the second degree; the sentences were ordered to be served consecutively. Additionally, Harriet was sentenced to 15 years for each for two counts of first degree robbery, 10 year each for second degree robbery, and seven years each for second degree assault. Those sentences will be served at the same time as the kidnapping sentence term. 

"The imposition of such a severe sentence is not something that anyone in the Tompkins County justice system takes lightly.  The evidence in the trial was overwhelming proof that Arthur Harriett’s crimes were specifically heinous and cruel and were committed against two vulnerable members of this community.  Under the circumstances, the sentence imposed by the Court is appropriate and justified," said District Attorney Van Houten.

Additionally, Harriet was sentenced in connection to a second case, after pleading guilty to having methamphetamine in October of 2023. The judge sentenced him to six years on a charge of second degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, to run concurrently with the kidnapping and assault sentence.