PORT ANGELES — Cody B. Runnion, 19, has pleaded guilty to nine crimes — but did not admit guilt in one of them, conspiracy to commit the April robbery at Fairmount Grocery — and been sentenced to three years in state prison.
Clallam County Superior Court Judge S. Brooke Taylor sentenced Runnion on Monday after the Port Angeles man changed his plea from not guilty.
Runnion signed a court statement Monday in which he admitted guilt in all of the charges except conspiracy to commit robbery.
“I do not admit guilt,” he wrote.
“But there is enough evidence to support a finding of guilt; and I want to take advantage of the plea offer.”
Hundreds of hours of police work, particularly on the part of Detective Kevin Spencer, led to the guilty plea, said Port Angeles Deputy Chief of Police Brian Smith.
“This case is a who-done-it,” he said.
“We didn’t have any information when it started.”
Runnion is the third person to plead in the Fairmount case.
Nicholas J. Sullivan, 24, of Kingston pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of the Fairmount store.
He was sentenced to 65 months in prison and 18 months of probation Oct. 26 for spearheading the robbery.
In September, a 16-year-old Port Angeles girl pleaded guilty to being an accomplice. She is not identified because she is a minor.
Sullivan entered the store at 1137 U.S. Highway 101 armed with a rifle and demanded the clerk hand over all the money from the cash register. The clerk complied, and the suspect fled.
Authorities have not released the amount of money taken.
Runnion was arrested on an unrelated crime July 31. He was charged Aug. 2 with second-degree burglary and third-degree theft in connection with a July 11 burglary at the All Animal Hospital in Port Angeles, in which a safe was stolen.
Charges were amended Aug. 13 to include four counts of residential burglary stemming from break-ins of homes in the Sequim area July 7, July 29 and July 30.
Prosecutors added one count of possession of a controlled substance.
Runnion pleaded not guilty to the charges Aug. 13,
Charges were amended again Monday to include another count of second-degree burglary for alledgedly breaking into Smith’s Jewelry Repair in Port Angeles on July 23 and second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery at the Fairmount State on April 18.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
