According to authorities, a man who attempted to rob a local pharmacy Wednesday was after opioids.
On Wednesday, Ian John Keller, 24, of Woodstock, attempted to rob the CVS Pharmacy on West Fifth Street.
According to a release from the Marysville Police Department, authorities received a report of a robbery in progress at 9:59 a.m.
“We had several calls from store employees, from customers, from witnesses,” Brooks said.
Callers said a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and purple bandana covering his face entered the store and approached the pharmacy.
“He implied he had a weapon and demanded a specific prescription drug,” states the release.
Brooks added, “He just basically placed his hand in front of him where he had the weapon.”
Brooks was unable to say which drug Keller was after, but did say it was opioid-based.
Officers arrived within a minute of the call and found Keller toward the back of the store. Authorities ordered him to the ground and took him without incident.
Brooks was unable to speak to what Keller intended to do with the drugs, though they did interview him after the incident.
“He basically related it to just a very poor decision,” Brooks said.
The release states that he had a .380 semi-automatic handgun in his front waistband, and a .22 revolver in his rear waistband.
The suspect’s vehicle, a purple Honda hatchback, was located a short distance down the street and was seized. Brooks said authorities determined Keller was acting alone from the contents of the vehicle.
“There was no other room inside the vehicle for there to be another person,” Brooks said.
According to the release, the case is still under investigation by Marysville Police.
Brooks said local authorities have noticed an uptick in robberies in general, though he said it hasn’t gotten to the point of being out of hand.
He said more than anything, it’s a symptom of the widespread use of heroin and similar drugs.
“I think that’s associated more with the opioid crisis (nationwide),” Brooks said.
He also said most of the offenders have been from out of town.
Keller was schedule to appear in court today, but information was not available at press time.