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A Sparta man pleaded guilty, Tuesday, in Vernon County Circuit Court to being party to armed robbery and burglary and was sentenced to four years in prison on each count.

Casey R. Alm, 18, Sparta, admitted he had a role in the Dec. 1, 2007, armed robbery at Mary's Quik Stop in Viroqua. For that Class C felony, punishable by a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a $100,000 fine, Alm was found guilty and sentenced by Judge Michael Rosborough to four years in prison and six years of extended supervision. Alm also pleaded guilty to burglarizing a home in Westby on Dec. 7, 2007. Rosborough found Alm guilty and sentenced him to four years in prison on that count, which was punishable by a maximum of 12-and-a-half years in prison and a $25,000 fine, and five years of extended supervision. The sentences are to run concurrent.

District Attorney Timothy Gaskell said Alm's dealings with the criminal justice system are far from over.

"He ran the gamut in the juvenile system, and as an adult, has a boatload of trouble here in Vernon County and now faces 30-to-40 charges in Monroe County," Gaskell said.

However, both Gaskell and Rosborough said Tuesday's court action marked Alm's first adult convictions. Rosborough said if Alm had been a few years older, the sentence could have been longer. Rosborough, in delivering the sentence, approved a mutually-agreed-upon deal between the state and Alm's defense attorney.

"The overriding issue is armed robbery," Rosborough said. "That is a crime extremely rare in this county. I can count on one hand how many of those cases that have come before me in 22 years… No one should be put in a position that (the victim) was put into, with a gun pointed at (their) face."

Rosborough said Alm's juvenile and adult record show he's "very impulsive."

Alm, when questioned by the judge, always answered either with "Yes, sir" and "No, sir." Alm, who in court has appeared cocky — smiling and laughing, was somber as he was given an opportunity to address the court.

"I shouldn't have done that stuff," Alm said in a choked-up voice. "Drugs had a major role in everything I was doing. I'm sorry."

Alm will be credited for 113 days served and may be eligible for the Challenge Academy Program and the Earned Release Program.

During Alm's burglary in Westby, he kicked in a door to a locked room, where one of the residents was located. He then fled the scene.

"You need to reflect on the right of people not to be subject to that type of ridiculous criminal behavior," Rosborough said to Alm.

As for the armed robbery in Viroqua, Alm gave a confession to the Viroqua Police Department that said he was the look out while Gregory P. Fair, 34, Cashton, went in the store and held the cashier up at gunpoint. In previous court proceedings, Fair said he was the look out and Alm was the man holding the gun. A status conference in Fair's case is set for the July 28.