By Debbie Garlicki Of The Morning Call
Former Lehigh University sophomore Gregory J. Hogan Jr. said he had a ''sick mind'' poisoned by online gambling when he handed an Allentown bank teller a note saying he had a gun and would shoot. A judge on Thursday acknowledged Hogan's addiction but deemed the robbery a serious crime that warranted 22 months in a state prison.
Hogan, 20, turned to family and friends, who were sniffling and sobbing in the gallery of a Lehigh County courtroom, before deputy sheriffs clamped handcuffs on his wrists and took him to the county jail. ''I love you,'' he mouthed to his family, as his mother, Karen Hogan, shook and wept.
Hogan's family had asked the judge not to make ''a criminal'' of the young man who was president of his class at Lehigh and a gifted musician. Tellers who were in the Wachovia bank on Dec. 9 implored the judge to treat him as just that — a criminal like any other.
President Judge William H. Platt gave Hogan a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, saying he wanted Hogan to be under court supervision for a long time. Platt said he expects Hogan will be released from prison after serving his minimum sentence of 22 months.
Standing on the courthouse steps after the hearing, Hogan's father, the Rev. Gregory J. Hogan Sr. of Ohio, expressed disappointment but said, ''My son is facing the decision he made.'' He said he is grateful his son is alive and didn't commit suicide as a child in his state who had gambling debts had done.
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