Columbia Falls Man Suspected in Armed Robbery of Pharmacy Appears in Court
A criminal complaint accuses Grant Alan West with a Hobbs Act robbery for brandishing a handgun and stealing Percocet from a pharmacy
By Maggie Dresser
A Columbia Falls man suspected of robbing a Columbia Falls pharmacy of drugs at gunpoint appeared April 26 for an initial appearance on a criminal complaint, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The criminal complaint accuses Grant Alan West, 37, with a Hobbs Act robbery.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. West was detained pending further proceedings.
According to court documents, Columbia Falls Police Department officers responded to a report of an armed robbery on April 13 at the Logan Health Pharmacy inside the Super 1 Grocery Store. Three victims reported that shortly before closing for the day, a man wearing a beanie, sunglasses and a mask entered the pharmacy, brandished a handgun and said, “Percocet 10.”
One of the victims grabbed a bottle of Percocet and put it in the tote bag the man carried. The three victims went into a bathroom and the man directed them to wait several minutes before they came out. When they came out of the bathroom, the victims called police and reported the robbery.
An investigation led to West as the suspect, and he was arrested later that night.
West faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliot is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI and the Columbia Falls Police Department.