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A California man who tried to rob Food 4 Less last year, leaving two employees hospitalized, was sentenced Thursday to prison. Christopher Randolph Harris, 25, of Richmond, Calif., pleaded guilty Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court to a charge of third-degree assault. Ruling that harm was greater than typical for the crime, Circuit Court Judge Patricia Crain sentenced Harris to four years and eight months in prison. Jeremiah Pickrel, 32, said he still experiences numbness in his face since Harris punched him on Oct. 27. He suffered a broken bone around his eye, a broken nose and a shoulder injury while trying to prevent Harris and two other California men from stealing cash from the Medford store's registers. Yet Pickerel, a Food 4 Less manager, said he felt no resentment toward Harris and hoped he would straighten out his life. "You are a brave man, and I apologize to you," Harris told Pickerel. Another employee, Teresa Marie Burns, suffered bite wounds to her hand and an eye injury after reaching into the getaway car trying to shut off its engine. The white Chevrolet Tahoe dragged Burns a few feet through the Biddle Road parking lot, police said. For that attack, 42-year-old Clifford Tyrone Bell, of Oakland, Calif., was sentenced to a year and one month in prison after pleading guilty on Dec. 11 to third-degree assault and second-degree theft. His son, 23-year-old Pedro Tyrone Bell, of Livermore, Calif., served a month and 15 days in jail following his Dec. 11 conviction for fourth-degree assault. Arrested near Highway 62 and Vilas Road soon after the afternoon robbery attempt, the three men remained in custody until their court dates. They also must pay $23,858 in restitution for the victims' medical bills. Both Burns and Pickerel were hospitalized for their injuries but were released without spending the night. A third Food 4 Less employee, Hal Ruben, was punched once in the face during the robbery but sought his own medical aid. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected].