A Long Prison Sentence for a Tyler Robber

TYLER – A man accused of robbing Rotolos Pizza in Tyler last December will be spending a long time in prison. Freddy Lee Criss, 55, was sentenced Friday by state District Judge Jack Skeen to 6 life prison sentences. He had pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated robbery and one count of evading arrest. As officers arrived at the restaurant, they saw his vehicle leaving. A chase followed. It ended when Criss wrecked on South Broadway at Loop 49. He then tried to flee on foot, but was arrested after a short chase. Criss has a criminal history spanning over three decades, including bank robbery. In July of 2009, Criss pleaded guilty to the April 2009, robbery of the First National Bank of Emory. He was out of prison on supervised release in the federal bank robbery case when he robbed the Tyler business.