Cedar Rapids woman sentenced for robbing two pharmacies

A 27-year-old woman charged with two robbing two pharmacies in March pleaded guilty to theft charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday in Linn County District Court.

Tiffany Carlton, of Cedar Rapids, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree theft and one count of assault while participating in a felony as part of a plea agreement. She was sentenced to a total of 20 years for all counts. She was originally charged with two counts of second-degree robbery.

Carlton walked into Walgreens, 3325 16th Ave. SW, and Medicap Pharmacy, 2030 6th St. SW, March 22 and pointed a BB gun at clerks and customers, demanding drugs, and then ran away. Officers arrested Carlton later in the day after a 15-minute chase.

Carlton apologized in court Monday to the employees and customers of the pharmacies and to the city of Cedar Rapids.

Assistant Linn County Attorney Jason Burns said the plea deal was made to ensure Carlton received the maximum time in prison.