Indiana Man Sentenced to 96 Months in Prison for Five Pharmacy Robberies in Iowa

DAVENPORT, IA – On Friday, May 3, 2019, Rontel Nijae Mial, age 19, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey to 96 months in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of robbery, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Mial was ordered to serve a three year period of supervised release to follow his prison term and a $100 special assessment, per count, payable to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

Mial pleaded guilty to the charges on September 12, 2018. According to court documents, on December 16, 2017, Mial traveled from Indiana to a Walgreens store in Davenport, Iowa, with the intent to rob the pharmacy. Just after 12:00 a.m., Mial entered the store armed with a dangerous weapon, approached the pharmacy counter, displayed the weapon, and demanded the pharmacist give him controlled substances including, but not limited to, oxycontin and oxycodone. Mial utilized a getaway driver/co-defendant, to quickly leave the scene; however, a GPS tracker device was included in one of the stolen pill bottles. Officers with the Davenport Police Department were dispatched to the GPS tracker device’s location. Mial and his co-defendant backed into police squad car, knocked into a parked car, and drove through a yard in attempt to elude officers. Officers were able to safely disable their vehicle. Mial then fled on foot but was apprehended after a short chase.

Further investigation revealed Mial was responsible for four other pharmacy robberies. Specifically, Mial admitted robbing a Walgreens store in Davenport, Iowa, on November 17, 2016; a CVS store in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 14, 2017; a Walgreens store in Davenport, Iowa, on November 1, 2017; and a Walgreens store in Iowa City, Iowa, on November 25, 2017.

This matter was investigated by the Davenport Police Department, Iowa City Police Department and Des Moines Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office-Southern District of Iowa.