HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Two men have been arrested after using zip ties to steal painkillers from two central Virginia pharmacies.
One of the robberies was at a Powhatan pharmacy, the other in Henrico County a few months later. Between the two robberies, close to $50,000 worth of painkillers were swiped within four months.
A victim said they now feel some relief.
"They were reasonably cordial about the entire situation,” said Richard Pelletier, who owns Powhatan Drug. “They didn't- I didn't get the feeling that I was personally in danger of getting hurt at that time."
Federal investigators say that Robert Levon Graham and Rashad Javel Fraierson pulled off both heists.
They say the evidence comes down to finger prints and cell phones used around Bremo Pharmacy in Henrico last November and Powhatan Drug Store last July.
Minutes before the pharmacy robbery, five miles away at Powhatan High School, someone made a bogus 911 call about an active shooter on campus. Federal investigators believe it was the suspects trying to buy themselves some time.
"I deal with a lot of people, and you can tell if they're desperate or totally drugged out,” said Pelletier. “They appeared to be neither of those two.”
He said he got into the pharmacy business to help people. But while he is glad both suspects are no longer terrorizing pharmacies and helping themselves, he admits the robbery in mid-July has caused him to change some things.
"My wife made me promise I would keep the door locked in the mornings, every morning until there’s enough foot traffic,” said Pelletier. “I’ve been more conscious and looking both ways before I open the doors."
Graham and Fraierson are facing charges under the Hobbs Act for robbery and firearms violations. They are being held at Pamunkey Regional Jail with no bond.
