Robbery, kidnap suspect caught

The suspect in a Saturday robbery of an Evergreen pharmacy was located and arrested without incident Sunday night at the Whitefish train depot.

Shawn Patrick Malarkey, 33, of Kalispell now faces felony robbery and kidnapping charges related to the robbery at the Evergreen Pharmacy at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Malarkey is suspected of entering the pharmacy armed with a semi-automatic handgun and demanding oxycontin.

After the drugs were handed over, Malarkey allegedly forced an employee at gunpoint to drive him from the scene in the employee's pickup.

The employee was released near the LDS Church on Whitefish Stage Road and the truck was later located in a ditch at the intersection of Tronstad Road and Tronstad Drive.

Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said the suspect was identified Sunday using photo lineups and with the assistance of the Kalispell Police Department.

"We were a couple of steps behind him yesterday and did develop some information that he was going to attempt to leave on the train," Curry said Monday morning.

Deputies and Whitefish police officers located Malarkey asleep on a bench at the depot, allowing them to evacuate the building before attempting to take him into custody.

Malarkey was armed when he was arrested without incident at about 9:20 p.m.

"He does have a pretty extensive [criminal] history, but I don't know that there's anything similar to this," Curry said of Malarkey.