Wichita Man Pleads Guilty in Armed Robbery

WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita man pleaded guilty Thursday to robbing a drug store in east Wichita, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Ryan B. Schmidt, 34, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of commercial robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during the robbery. In his plea, he admitted that on Sept. 4, 2014, he entered Gessler’s Drug Store at 4817 E. Douglas in Wichita, brandished a gun and told an employee to give him prescription drugs. He fled the store with seven bottles of hydrocodone and three bottles of promethazine in a plastic bag.

Schmidt was involved in a high speed chase with police before hitting a utility pole and another vehicle and coming to a stop.

Sentencing is set for March 9. Both parties have agreed to recommend to the judge a sentence between 14 and 25 years in federal prison.

Grissom commended the Wichita Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.