Landon J. Baker, 19, of Fort Dodge, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of first-degree robbery, first-degree theft and assault while participating in a felony.

He received 25 years in prison for his convictions.

At his hearing Tuesday, Baker admitted to committing two robberies on Aug. 18.

The first robbery was shortly before 5:20 a.m. at YesWay, 115 N. 22nd St. Baker admitted he entered the store intending to steal money. While there, he assaulted the clerk by pointing a knife at her and demanding money from the register. He also said he pointed the knife at another person in the store and threatened him if he didn’t follow Baker’s instructions.

About an hour later, at 6:27 a.m., the Webster County Law Enforcement Center was contacted about a robbery at the Casey’s General Store, 1230 Third Ave. N.W.

Baker admitted to committing the same crime while at the Casey’s. In that instance, he said he also pointed a knife at one store clerk and then told another clerk to open the cash register. He took the money from her hand and left the store.

Fort Dodge police arrested Baker shortly after the crimes.

Following his guilty pleas, Baker was sentenced to a maximum total sentence of 25 years in prison by Judge Thomas Bice.

“It’s a sad day when I have to send a 19-year-old to prison,” Bice told Baker.

While he said that Baker was young and these were his first felony convictions, Bice said the crimes were extremely serious and impacted multiple peoples’ lives.

Bice said he was sentencing Baker to prison for both the community’s safety and to send a message to others who might think about committing similar crimes.