Published: April 25, 2007 10:50 pm         

Suspect nabbed in Beckley pharmacy robbery, abduction

A Beckley man was taken into custody Wednesday, charged with robbing a pharmacy and abducting the sole pharmacist on duty, city police said.

Ricky Adkins, 53, was charged with kidnapping and first-degree robbery in Tuesday’s incident which occurred around closing time, Detective Cpl. David Allard said.

Adkins was taken to Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital after his arrest Wednesday afternoon, Allard said. Allard could only say Adkins was being treated for a medical condition and his treatment was a precautionary measure.

Adkins will have to appear in Raleigh County Circuit Court before any bond is set for the kidnapping charge, Allard said.

The 62-year-old chief pharmacist at Beckley Pharmacy on Stanaford Road was closing the pharmacy around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and the alarm was set when he was confronted by Adkins, Allard said. Adkins was not armed, but he indicated he was. Adkins told the male pharmacist that if he did not do as told he would shoot him.

The pharmacist told police he was robbed and forced by Adkins to drive to Oak Hill, Allard said. Several bottles of Percocet and Xanax were taken from the pharmacy and the pharmacist was robbed of cash.

Once reaching Oak Hill, Allard said, Adkins fled the pharmacist’s vehicle on foot near Kmart. There, the pharmacist contacted the State Police’s Oak Hill detachment. The pharmacist was shaken but not physically injured.

Sgt. Cheri Mullins responded to a burglar alarm at the pharmacy, but when Mullins checked the building, it appeared secure, Allard said.

Someone called the Oak Hill detachment Wednesday, saying a person seen near Roberts Avenue matched the suspect’s description, Allard said. Police went to that location and found Adkins. He was wearing the same clothes he wore the day before.

The pharmacist was also able to identify Adkins through a photo array, Allard said.

Adkins confessed to the crime, Allard said. The motivation for the robbery appeared to be to obtain the prescription medication, but why Adkins had the pharmacist drive him to Oak Hill was unknown. However, Adkins did say he let the pharmacist go because he believed the man did not deserve to be hurt.

The pharmacist and Adkins did not know each other, Allard said.

Because pharmacy robberies are becoming more common, Allard advised management of standalone pharmacies to have more than one person opening and closing the stores. The pharmacist in Tuesday’s incident was alone.

“Anything they can do to revise security should be looked at,” Allard said. “All pharmacies should have procedures in place to deal with these situations and, most of all, prevent them. There should also be a method of notifying authorities.”

Allard said the suspect was not to be confused with Ricky Dale Adkins, 50, of White Oak, who is wanted for malicious wounding, wanton endangerment and nighttime burglary in an April 18 Coal City shooting.

Allard noted Detective Cpl. Frank Priddy and Detective Jon Abbott also worked on the case.

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