A Kalispell man pleaded not guilty to multiple charges stemming from a March 12 robbery at an Evergreen pharmacy, which include kidnapping and felony assault with a weapon.
Shawn Patrick Malarkey, 33, appeared before District Court Judge Ted Lympus for his arraignment hearing on March 31.
Malarkey’s attorney, Courtney Nolan, entered not guilty pleas for the charges against her client, listed as felony robbery, kidnapping, criminal possession of dangerous drugs and two counts of assault with a weapon.
According to court records, Flathead County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an armed robbery at an Evergreen pharmacy on March 12 at about 11:30 a.m. An employee said a man walked in and asked to speak with the pharmacist, then pointed a pistol at the pharmacist and demanded all of the pharmacy’s Oxycontin.
After getting the drugs and pointing the gun at the employees, the suspect made the pharmacist drive him away from the building.
When officers found the pharmacist, he said the suspect told him to “hurry up for he was going to put a bullet in his head,” court records state.
The suspect told the pharmacist to drive to a church on Whitefish Stage Road, where he released the captive and drove away. The truck was later found in a ditch near Tronstad Drive and Tronstad Road.
Investigating officers spoke to witnesses who described the suspect’s black outfit, which matched a description to Malarkey’s clothing. Two witnesses also identified Malarkey as the man they had seen that day in a photo line-up.
Later on, officers at the Whitefish Train Depot found Malarkey lying on a bench, wearing clothing that matched the description given by witnesses. Officers evacuated the station and arrested Malarkey without incident.
Officers reported that they discovered a semi-automatic pistol in the waistband of Malarkey’s pants and five pharmacy medicine bottles containing Oxycontin in his pockets.
During his March 31 arraignment, Malarkey also pleaded not guilty to a felony theft charge in a different case. He is accused of stealing his father’s wheelchair, valued at approximately $5,000, after his father was moved to a rehabilitation facility in June of 2010.
Malarkey’s bond was set at $100,000 in the robbery case. He remains in custody at the Flathead County jail.