Man Who Attacked Store Clerk For Drugs Is Sentenced To 2 Years

A Mentor man who punched a store clerk so he could steal an "herbal potpourri" was sentenced to two years in prison by Judge Vincent Culotta Monday morning.

Benjamin Ailstock, 33, .

In September, Ailstock came into the  store and stole a $20 can of Nugz -- a man-made drug that is chemically similar to marijuana. Such drugs were legal at the time but have since become illegal.

When a store employee tried to stop Ailstock, he punched him in the face, prosecutors said.

Soon thereafter, an off-duty Mentor-on-the-Lake firefighter spotted Ailstock passed out by the intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard and Thistlewood Drive.

Police were called and they arrested Ailstock.

Ailstock had also been charged with felonious assault. As part of a plea deal, that charge was dismissed.