ALBANY, New York - A 54-year-old Enfield man was sentenced this week to 8 years in prison for a participating in a multi-state crime spree where he spent 5 weeks driving across the country in a stolen muscle car, and robbing as many as 10 dollar stores in eight different stores.
Daniel David Hunter's spree began May 5, 2017 in Connecticut when he stole new Dodge Charger, and it ended 5 weeks later on June 11 when he was arrested in a casino restroom in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
Along the way, law enforcement gave him one of those descriptive, be-on-the-lookout nicknames. Based on his preferred targets and his white hair, Hunter's nickname was "the Dollar Store Grandpa Bandit."
Hunter pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Albany to stealing the car, and for armed robberies at Dollar Store locations in North Greenbush, New York and in Ceoure d'Alene, Idaho, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York.
He was accused also of robbing dollar stores in Michigan, Wisconsin, Utah, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut but not prosecuted.
In addition to the prison sentence, he was also ordered to pay $25,450 in restitution, and forfeit $1,200. After his release, he will be on supervised release for three years.
His arrest was the result of an investigation involving the FBI, Enfield police and police in New York and Idaho.