A Lake Charles man convicted of the armed robbery of a local business in 2013 was sentenced Friday in state district court to 15 years in prison.

Kevin Ballard, 32, was arrested on Oct. 15, 2013, for what authorities called a “well-planned and well-thought-out” robbery of the Insta Cash on Common Street earlier that morning. Lake Charles Police Chief Don Dixon said at the time that Ballard and co-defendant Cody Andrew Sturrock, also of Lake Charles, were armed with guns and wore masks and gloves when they committed the crime.

Dixon said a white truck the men were seen leaving in was found on fire in a vacant lot on Fall Street minutes after the robbery. The truck, he said, had been reported stolen on the morning of the robbery and the plates had been switched.

Ballard and Sturrock were both indicted in December 2013 on charges of armed robbery, armed robbery with a firearm, theft of a motor vehicle, theft $500-$1,500 and simple arson.

Sturrock pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery on Jan. 26, 2015, with his remaining charges dismissed, according to the Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s Office. He was sentenced on April 22, 2016, to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised probation.

Ballard pleaded guilty to armed robbery on May 11, 2015. His remaining charges were also dismissed.

Ballard was set to be sentenced on Sept. 16, 2015, but he failed to show. The date was then reset for Oct. 21, 2015. Again Ballard failed to appear, and a bench warrant was issued.

Ballard was arrested in Harris County, Texas, in December 2015 and after serving time there, he was extradited to Calcasieu Parish in November and was held without bond.

Before sentencing Friday, Ballard told Judge Robert Wyatt that the gun he used in the robbery was unloaded.

“When you walk into a place of business with a gun, even unloaded, you put people’s lives in jeopardy,” Wyatt said.

He also said the money Ballard and Sturrock got away with were “mere pennies” in comparison to the effect their criminal behavior had on other people’s lives.

Wyatt said he took into consideration Ballard’s age, criminal record and mitigating circumstances before deciding on a sentence.