Pharmacy robber sentenced to prison

MARQUETTE — The case of a man who robbed an Ishpeming pharmacy with a toy gun came to a close Friday morning in Marquette County Circuit Court.

Thirty-three-year old Ryan Allman of Negaunee was sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison with credit for 120 days served. The sentence, which is a downward departure from sentencing guidelines, was negotiated as part of a plea agreement in which Allman pleaded guilty to an armed robbery charge.

“I wasn’t myself when this happened,” said Allman. “I was heavily under the influence of substantial drug abuse history and still struggle with it today, and I’d just like to say how sorry I am for everything I’ve done.”

“It’s clear that this is an unusual armed robbery case,” said Judge Jennifer Mazzuchi. “The weapon involved was a plastic toy gun. I think that that factor of course makes this different to a large extent when we look at what Mr. Allman was intending to do and how much danger people actually were in. Its really not much different from another armed robbery case when we look at what the victims perceived.”

Allman was arrested in June after the robbery of Snyders Express Pharmacy at gun point. Video obtained from a local restaurant showed Allman throwing the toy gun into a dumpster after the incident.