MINDEN - A 59-year-old man was sentenced this week to 14 years in prison for robbing his 82-year-old mother, tying her to a chair with a telephone cord and threatening to kill her.
District Judge Michael Gibbons told Gregory Kovner he must serve a minimum of four years before he is eligible for parole.
Kovner was sentenced to 10 years in prison for burglary and four years as an enhancement because of the victim's age.
"I pray for my mother every day that she'll be able to forgive and forget what I did," Kovner said. "I've always loved her. 'Sorry' seems such a trite word for such an egregious action. It was not premeditated. It was an unfulfilled need for love and affection building up at Christmas time."
According to reports, the victim said Kovner tied his mother to a chair with a rope and telephone cords and bound her hands and feet at her residence in Topaz Ranch Estates on Dec. 27.
She said he threatened to snap her neck and kill her. He also allegedly punched her in the face with a closed fist.
Kovner's brother Gary, speaking on his mother's behalf, testified Monday the family had tried to help the defendant for 40 years but he couldn't overcome his addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Attorney Kris Brown said her client was bipolar and his behavior was caused by mental health and alcohol problems. She called him a good candidate for probation, citing a psychological evaluation that indicated he was at a low-risk to offend as long as he followed directions for medication and abstained from
alcohol.