Arsenio Lopez, 22, of Sumner pleaded guilty this past week at the U.S. District Court in Tacoma to two counts of pharmacy robbery for robbing pharmacies in Puyallup and Bonney Lake during 2008.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington court documents indicated that at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 30 Lopez robbed the Rite-Aid Pharmacy at 21302 state Route 410 in Bonney Lake wearing a hooded jacket and ski mask.
He approached the pharmacy counter and demanded the pharmacy’s supply of oxycodone.
Lopez ordered the pharmacy technician to the ground while the pharmacist retrieved the drugs, according to the court documents. He then ordered the pharmacist to the ground and left the pharmacy carrying several bottles of pills containing oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance.
One week later, at approximately 8:30 p.m. Feb. 6, 2008 Lopez robbed the Rite-Aid Pharmacy at 1323 E. Main Ave. in Puyallup wearing similar clothing. Lopez handed a written note to the pharmacist which read: “Do exactly what this says and no one gets HURT! Take this bag and fill it with all the oxycontin and oxycodone you have. This includes 80 mg, 40 mg, 20 mg, 10 mg, 30 mg, 15 mg tablets. And don’t do anything dumb that could endanger you or your coworkers.”
Lopez ordered the pharmacy technician to the ground while the pharmacist retrieved the drugs. He then ordered the pharmacist to the ground and left the pharmacy carrying several bottles of oxycodone.
Police officers stopped Lopez as he was driving away from a nearby parking lot.
During a search, officers recovered the written demand note from Lopez as well as several bottles of oxycodone just taken from the pharmacy lying on the car seat next to him inside a plastic bag.
Lopez also admitted committing a similar robbery on Jan. 24 in Kent.
Lopez agreed to pay restitution to all three pharmacies for the value of the drugs taken. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle on Sept. 5. Pharmacy robbery is a felony offense punishable by up to twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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