By Ramsey Scott

Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Via Wyoming News Exchange

CHEYENNE — The three men responsible for the 2016 attempted robbery of the Medicap Pharmacy in Cheyenne and a carjacking in Wheatland have been sentenced in federal court.

Antoine Mitchell, 30, was sentenced Monday to 35 years in a federal prison for his part in crimes committed in Wyoming and a subsequent robbery in New Mexico. Last week, Moses Dickens III, 22, and Christopher Dominguez, 28, were sentenced for their parts in the multi-state crimes. Dickens received a 35-year sentence, and Dominguez received a 28-year sentence.

All three men pleaded guilty as part of a deal that kept them out of prison for the remainder of their lives.

Mitchell pleaded guilty to the carjacking in Wheatland and kidnapping the car’s owner as he took the vehicle. Mitchell was followed by Dickens and Dominguez in a separate car while he drove the stolen car and female victim to a remote location 17 miles west of Wheatland.

Once there, Mitchell demanded the woman strip down to her underwear and told her to run up a hill while cocking his handgun and firing a round. The trio left her and proceeded to head to Cheyenne, where they attempted to rob Medicap Pharmacy.

During the robbery, the trio demanded opioid-based drugs, fired multiple shots in the store and briefly took two female employees hostage. The three men left without any drugs after getting into a shootout with pharmacist Jackson Quick, who was shot in his right leg by Mitchell as the men were fleeing the store.

Mitchell, Dickens and Dominguez were arrested three months later after taking part in an armed robbery of a pharmacy in Ranton, New Mexico, and leading police on a car chase. The trio’s plea deal included some of the charges for the crimes committed in New Mexico.

Wyoming U.S. Attorney Mark Klaassen said a joint effort between the FBI and law enforcement in Wyoming and New Mexico was responsible for connecting the three men to the Cheyenne shooting and Wheatland carjacking. He described the Cheyenne robbery as a “brazen daylight-hours crime” and thanked witnesses who helped in identifying the three men.

“This case is an outstanding representation of how close cooperation between federal and local law enforcement agencies across two states can put violent criminals and drug dealers behind bars,” Klaassen said after the sentencing.

Quick and his wife made statements during Mitchell’s sentencing Monday, talking about the impact of Quick’s injury on his work and health, and the significant trauma experienced by their children. Both said they hoped Mitchell would seek a higher power while incarcerated, and they hoped one day to find the strength to forgive him for his actions.

Mitchell apologized for his actions and said he wanted to become a better person for his wife and children.

During the robbery, the trio demanded opioid-based drugs, fired multiple shots in the store and briefly took two female employees hostage. The three men left without any drugs after getting into a shootout with pharmacist Jackson Quick, who was shot in his right leg by Mitchell as the men were fleeing the store.

Mitchell, Dickens and Dominguez were arrested three months later after taking part in an armed robbery of a pharmacy in Ranton, New Mexico, and leading police on a car chase. The trio’s plea deal included some of the charges for the crimes committed in New Mexico.

Wyoming U.S. Attorney Mark Klaassen said a joint effort between the FBI and law enforcement in Wyoming and New Mexico was responsible for connecting the three men to the Cheyenne shooting and Wheatland carjacking. He described the Cheyenne robbery as a “brazen daylight-hours crime” and thanked witnesses who helped in identifying the three men.

“This case is an outstanding representation of how close cooperation between federal and local law enforcement agencies across two states can put violent criminals and drug dealers behind bars,” Klaassen said after the sentencing.

Quick and his wife made statements during Mitchell’s sentencing Monday, talking about the impact of Quick’s injury on his work and health, and the significant trauma experienced by their children. Both said they hoped Mitchell would seek a higher power while incarcerated, and they hoped one day to find the strength to forgive him for his actions.

Mitchell apologized for his actions and said he wanted to become a better person for his wife and children.

During the sentencing, Judge Nancy Freudenthal spoke sympathetically about Mitchell’s background, including the multiple instances of abuse during his early childhood. She echoed the Quick’s wish that Mitchell would find a higher power while serving his sentence and help turn his life of addiction around.

“This is a longer prison sentence, and I regret that,” Freudenthal said during sentencing. “But your conduct was pretty severe.”

Freudenthal decided against a request from the U.S. Attorney’s Office to keep a non-communication order in place that prevented all three men from being in contact.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Healy had asked for the order to be maintained due to Mitchell and Dominguez being investigated for trying to bribe prison guards at the Scottsbluff County Jail in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, where the men were being held. Healy said the pair worked to smuggle contraband, including drugs and cellphones, into the facility.

Freudenthal said the issue could be dealt with by prison administration and declined to extend the order.

Klaassen said he couldn’t comment on that case as it was an ongoing Nebraska state investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s office had made the request to help in assisting the Nebraska investigation.