Crime & Safety

CVS Bandit, 16, Used Gun to Get OxyContin: Cops

Joliet police say the teen presented the pharmacy with a threatening note and then went into the store's rest room to use the drug.

A teenager needing an OxyContin fix and wielding a BB gun forced a CVS pharmacy employee to give him the drug and then locked himself in the store's rest room, Joliet police say.

The suspect, described as a 16-year-old white male, entered the store at Caton Farm and Drauden roads at about 7:25 p.m. Wednesday, Cmdr. Al Roechner said. He went directly to the pharmacy counter and presented the employee with a note that read, "Don't do anything stupid. I have a gun. Give me all your OxyContin and 30-gauge needles."

"He needed a fix, and he was going to get one," Roechner said.

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The police were called about a "robbery in progress," and found the teen inside the rest room, Roechner said. He had to be coaxed from the room, and police recovered the BB gun from inside, he said.

No one was injured and no shots fired. The teen was charged with aggravated robbery, rather than armed robbery, because the weapon used was not a real gun, Roechner said.

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OxyContin, a retail name for the drug oxycodone, is a narcotic pain reliever that's available only through prescription. When used for recreational purposes, the taker gets a high that's similar to heroin, experts say.

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