SALEM – A Lynn felon who admitted stealing a purse from a 63-year-old state employee as she worked at the Salem public assistance office may serve up to five years in state prison.Russell Learned, 29, of 40 Flint St., #1, pleaded guilty Monday afternoon in Salem Superior Court to charges of unarmed robbery of a person over the age of 60, as well as three counts of assault and battery upon a public employee.He was sentenced to serve not less than four years and not more than five years in state prison by Judge Timothy Q. Feeley.Learned was also given 21/2 years in jail on each of the three counts for assault and battery upon a public employee. However, each of those three jail terms will be served simultaneously with the four to five year prison term, instead of one after the other.Assistant District Attorney Jean M. Curran stated the charges arose out of an incident on Jan. 5 when Learned, who had just recently been released from prison on an unrelated crime, went to the Department of Transitional Assistance, located at 35 Congress St. in Salem, to apply for food stamps.When the 63-year-old state caseworker went to copy Learned’s jail identification along with his warrant recall slips for his application, Learned went behind her desk and took her wallet.As the caseworker was returning to her desk, she saw Learned with her wallet in his hand, confronted him and began to struggle with him. Two other state caseworkers intervened, tearing Learned’s shirt as they tried to subdue him. Learned ended up fleeing the building empty handed and shirtless, but leaving behind his jail ID and warrant recall slips.Salem Patrolmen Kevin St. Pierre and Robert Cunningham searched the area, but were not able to locate Learned. Because he had left his identification behind, police tracked him down and arrested him.Curran proposed a punishment of five to seven years in prison based on his past criminal record, pointing out that Learned had four armed robbery charges in 1998 as well as a conviction in 2002. Curran said her recommendation was also based on the nature and circumstances of the crime committed, while adding that Learned was not a candidate for probation.Defense lawyer Rebecca Whitehill pleaded for a more lenient penalty, suggesting two to three years in prison.She explained that her client had a drug problem and had been struggling with it all his life.A fifth charge of larceny from a building was dropped as part of negotiations.Learned, who has worked as a painter and carpenter, last did a stint of three-to-four years in state prison in 2002 for stealing $400 at gunpoint from the Brooks Pharmacy at 186 Lewis St. in Lynn. That conviction did not commence until he completed a two-year term for violating the terms of his probation.The judge ordered that Learned receive 157 days credit toward his prison term while awaiting trial on the case in jail.He was indicted by an Essex County grand jury last February and has been held in lieu of $10,000 cash bail.