COEUR d'ALENE - A 53-year-old Post Falls man was sentenced to 20 years in state prison for two counts of aggravated assault and one count of burglary, the Kootenai County prosecutor's office announced Tuesday.

Russell A. Passons was sentenced by 1st District Court Judge Richard Christensen, who ordered that the first 10 years be fixed on one of the aggravated assault charges. That charge had a deadly weapon enhancement. Ten more years are indeterminate on the charge.

On the second aggravated assault charge Passons was sentenced to a fixed term of five years.

On the burglary charge he was given a term of five years fixed and five years indeterminate.

Passons was convicted after a two-day jury trial in January.

The charges arose from a June 21, 2012, incident at the Walmart store on Mullan Avenue in Post Falls.

Asset protection department employees saw Passons attempting to steal a 37-inch television and confronted him in the parking lot.

Passons pulled a knife and threatened the employees with it before running away and then driving from the store.

Store security video recorders showed Passons stealing a baby stroller earlier in the day at the store.

Passons was arrested four days later after he was seen in the Ponderay Walmart store with a woman who was trying to return the stolen stroller for a refund.

After Passons and the woman left the store by car, police officers attempted to stop them.

Passons attempted to elude them by driving at high speeds through Sandpoint. He hit a curb and disabled his vehicle, and he was then arrested.

Passons has a lengthy criminal history. He has misdemeanor convictions for petit theft, vehicle tampering, taking a vehicle without the owner's consent, attempted theft by possession of stolen property, eluding police, carrying a concealed weapon, assault and battery.

His felony convictions include burglary, attempted grand theft, robbery, taking a motor vehicle without the owner's consent, escape, alien smuggling, possession of marijuana with the intent to sell, and possession of a dangerous weapon.

Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh said, "Mr. Passons gave Judge Christensen little choice by continuing his career of theft, and then compounding it by placing Sandpoint residents at risk during a high-speed chase."

Deputy Prosecutor Art Verharen handled the case for McHugh's office.

McHugh added, "(Passons') conduct reveals his inability at this time, after many convictions, to comply with society's rules."

Prison time is necessary to protect the community, he said.

"Following his incarceration, we hope his passion for criminal conduct will have faded to the point that he can live in a way that isn't a burden on society," McHugh said.