3 Milwaukee Men Sentenced In Pharmacy Robberies

MILWAUKEE — All three Milwaukee men involved in the armed robbery of pharmacies in the city have been sentenced as of last week.

Robert K. Love (age 30) and Theodore D. Smith (age 31) carried out an armed robbery of a pharmacy in Milwaukee on Nov. 3, 2021, authorities said. Days later, Love, Smith, and Alex M. Rollins (age 31) robbed a second pharmacy in the area, according to investigators.

Brandishing a handgun in both cases, the men stole significant quantities of narcotics and later tried to see them, authorities said.

A federal grand jury returned indictments against Love, Smith, and Rollins, who all later pleaded guilty, officials noted:

• Smith was sentenced on Feb. 29, 2024, to a 15-year federal prison term.
• Rollins was sentenced on Sept. 7, 2023, to a 6-year federal prison term.
• Love was sentenced on May 2, 2024, to a 14-year prison term, followed by supervised release.

In addition to the November 2021 robberies, Love had also carried out thefts of three handguns from federal firearms licensees in October 2021 and had made false statements to law enforcement in November 2022, authorities said.

"Pharmacy robberies cause multiple layers of harm, placing the physical safety of others at risk, traumatizing victims, and introducing controlled substances into the community," said U.S. Attorney Haanstad in a news release.

"In addition, individuals who are willing to steal firearms and get them into the hands of others through uncontrolled sales similarly pose an unacceptable risk to the safety of the neighborhoods in which we all live and work. I commend everyone who played a role in pursuing justice in these matters."