Howard County (Map, News) - The man who tormented Columbia residents in a crime spree of robberies and burglaries was sentenced to 33 years in prison Friday.

Ronnie Smith Jr., 40, of Columbia, pleaded guilty in October to first-degree assault, armed robbery and two first-degree burglary charges stemming from four separate home invasions in which he bound and gagged one victim and attempted to rape another.

The state had recommended a sentence of 65 years in prison, citing Smith’s “threat to public safety.”

Howard Circuit Judge Diane Leasure heard testimony Friday from the 26-year-old woman who came home about 6 p.m. Dec. 11 to find Smith robbing her Columbia apartment.

The woman said Smith hit her in the face with metal flashlight and attempted to rape her until she lied and told him she had AIDS.

Police linked Smith to DNA from a condom found in the bedroom, according to court records.

“I had to replace all my bedroom linens, because I couldn’t handle sleeping on the blanket I’d almost been raped on,” said the woman, who recounted the fear she now faces on a daily basis.

“What happens to the next girl who can’t think of a good enough lie to make him stop.”

Smith had committed another violent robbery days earlier on Smooth Meadow Way in Columbia, according to charging documents.

Lorna Griffin, 60, of Columbia, came downstairs around 8:15 a.m. Dec. 6 and was confronted by Smith, who pulled her hat over her eyes and bound her hands with a telephone cord.

Griffin, who was present when Smith pleaded guilty, recently died of lung cancer, the prosecutor said.

Smith’s attorney Clarke Ahlers compared his client to the character of Lenny in “Of Mice and Men” and said the state was asking for a “grossly disproportionate sentence.” He recommended a sentence of 22 years.

Smith, who is detained at the Howard County Detention Center in Jessup, apologized to the victims and asked for their forgiveness.

“It was a bad time in my life, and I reacted wrong. I didn’t know how to deal with it,” Smith said.

The other two burglaries Smith committed in November 2006 were not violent.

He was arrested in New Haven, Conn., in December after detectives tracked him through pawn shops where he sold the stolen items.

cpeirce@baltimoreexaminer.com