Rockland Man Sentenced to More Than 3 Years for Pharmacy Robbery

Contact: Halsey B. Frank
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Elbert
Ranquist, 43, of Rockland, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Nancy
Torresen to 43 months in prison and three years of supervised release for pharmacy
robbery. Ranquist pleaded guilty to the charge on April 17, 2014.

According to court documents, on the evening of August 5, 2013, Ranquist drove to
Jensen’s Pharmacy in Rockland in his wife’s distinctive vehicle. He entered the pharmacy
wearing sunglasses, a hooded sweatshirt pulled tight around his face, a small blue backpack and
blue surgical gloves. He went to the counter holding a knife in his left hand and demanded
oxycodone from the pharmacist. The pharmacist, who recognized the defendant as a regular
customer, asked out loud if he was really being robbed by “Elbert Ranquist.” The defendant
absconded with 10 5mg oxycodone pills.

In pronouncing sentence, Judge Torresen stated that Ranquist had been in a vicious cycle
with drugs for years in which he tried to self-medicate and solve personal and family problems
but only caused himself more problems.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rockland Police
Department, the Maine State Police and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.