BELLINGHAM - A Bellingham man was sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday, Jan. 17, for busting into a Bellingham home and holding the residents at gunpoint in a robbery.

Brandon Lee Keck, 21 - who has a neck tattoo of the word "Justice" in flowing script - broke into a house in the 2800 block of St. Clair Street with accomplice Ananda Sativa Eichhorn, 36, in late May. Armed with rifles, they rounded up the five people inside and bound their hands with duct tape, according to court records. Several victims were punched in the face.

A sixth person, a 20-year-old man, hid and called 911. He crept out a bedroom window to safety, while Eichhorn stood guard over the others with a .22-caliber rifle. Keck ransacked the home, taking electronics, credit cards, cash, wallets and cellphones.

Police caught Eichhorn coming out the door with bags full of stolen goods. Keck tried to slip out a back sliding door, but he ran back inside when police confronted him. He ducked into a garage. Police eventually coaxed him to crawl out a window so they could arrest him.

Eichhorn was given a 22-year sentence in December, because he had a history of robbery and other crimes.

"But because of this gent's history," Uhrig said at Keck's sentencing, "this case will be ... "

"Different," said Prosecutor Eric Richey.

"Different, yes."

Keck had no felonies on his record. At the hearing, he declined to speak on his own behalf. But his defense attorney, Lee Grochmal, said Keck has accepted responsibility for his crimes, and that he's trying to be a better father to his 4-year-old child.

"He has memories of visiting his father in prison," she said. "He doesn't want to do that with his son."

Uhrig sentenced Keck to eight years in prison for one count of first-degree burglary and three counts of robbery.

Reach Caleb Hutton at 360-715-2276 or caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com. Read his dispatcher blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/dispatcher or follow him on Twitter at @bhamcrime.