A Lawrence man and former Sonic employee faces several years of prison time after he pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to attempting to rob the North Lawrence restaurant in January.

Reco Clark, 23, entered pleas to attempted robbery and aggravated assault for using a firearm on Jan. 23 to try to rob the restaurant.

In a short statement he read in court, Clark admitted he failed to take money during a robbery from one employee and that he used a handgun.

Douglas County District Judge Paula Martin told Clark he faces nearly three years in prison on each count.

Another man, Antonio M. Douglas, has been convicted of robbery after a plea in the case and was sentenced to probation. Clark, a Sonic employee at the time, was initially listed as a victim in the case, but months later Lawrence police detectives interviewed him several times about his involvement and then prosecutors filed charges against him.

When he was charged with the robbery in September, Clark was already in jail for a separate case. He pleaded guilty on Sept. 30 to aggravated battery in that case for striking another man on June 14 in Lawrence.

On Wednesday, Martin sentenced Clark to serve two years and five months in prison in that case. Clark apologized to the victim, saying he never meant to hurt the man and said he intended to work to pay $6,500 in restitution to cover the man’s medical bills.

Defense attorney Hatem Chahine said the plea agreement in the robbery case calls for those sentences to run consecutive to his aggravated battery sentence. That means Clark faces about seven years in prison.

Martin is scheduled to sentence Clark for the attempted robbery and aggravated assault convictions on Friday.