UPDATE:
22 year old David Halvorsen of Castlegar has pled guilty to several offences stemming from the robbery at Paragon on March 23, and was sentenced to two years in jail. He was also given three years of probation following that sentence, and given a 10 year firearms prohibition.
The convictions include: Robbery, Possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and Disguised with intent.
Castlegar RCMP have taken into custody a male who attempted to rob Paragon Pharmacy using a hammer.
"At about 12 noon today (March 23), Castlegar RCMP responded to a robbery call at the Paragon Pharmacy by the Boston Pizza in Castlegar," said Cpl. Darryl Orr. "A male had entered the store a short time earlier brandishing a weapon and demanding medicine from the employees at the pharmacy."
The Paragon employees were able to fight off the suspect, who fled to an undetermined location. The employees were unharmed during the attempted robbery.
"Through the course of the investigation we brought in members from Trail to help us try and find this guy," said Orr. "A short time after commencing the investigation we determined who the suspect was and made plans to attend the suspect's residence to affect his arrest."
On the way to the suspects house, the attending members spotted him and were able to make the arrest without incident.
"At this point, we believe the suspect was intent on committing another robbery of similar nature at another local pharmacy a short distance away from where he was arrested," said Orr. "He's currently in police custody. We're going to be seeking him to be held for court, likely Monday. We're not sure where. We're going to be recommending charges of robbery, assault with a weapon, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose."
The suspect is a Castlegar resident and is familiar to local RCMP.