Three California men face the possibility of decades in prison for allegedly robbing a Casper Walgreens and taking more than 3,500 opioid pills, authorities said.
Police suspect the men drove over 1,000 miles to commit the robbery and insinuated they had a gun to take the drugs.
Curtis Green, Joshua Slaughter and Charles Jemison, who are high school friends, made their initial appearances Tuesday in Natrona County Circuit Court. The three men appeared distraught — pleading with the judge for bond leniency, rubbing their faces and repeatedly referencing their crime-free lives prior to being arrested.
“These are very serious charges, and you have no ties to our community,” Judge Nichole Collier told them.
A worker at the Wyoming Boulevard Walgreens reported Jemison, 23, entered the store on May 26, jumped behind the counter and robbed the pharmacy, taking a bag of oxycodone and everything in the safe, according to a police investigator’s affidavit.
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At the same time, Slaughter, 23, was watching to make sure no one saw Jemison jumping the counter and no one called the police, the affidavit states.
The pair then jumped in a getaway car, which police say was driven by Green, 20. The white Kia Forte sped through Casper before getting onto Interstate 25.
A Casper police sergeant later arrived on scene, the affidavit states. During the interview, one of the pharmacy employees reported he was pushed towards the back of the pharmacy and believed Jemison had a gun.
“Once the safe was open, the male began taking all the Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, and Methadone,” the affidavit states. “…[The employee] saw the suspect male’s hand in his hoodie pocket and it appeared the suspect male was holding a gun.”
Police determined over 3,500 pills were stolen, which were worth $4,715.
The three men were ultimately apprehended in Converse County. They were transferred to the Natrona County Detention Center and interviewed at the Casper Police Department.
During the interview at the station, Green could not explain why the trio selected Wyoming to rob and admitted he had never heard of the state before this trip, the affidavit states. He said he was going to school to be an electrician and “made a stupid decision” because he needed the money.
Jemison explained their idea for robbing Walgreens was inspired by an Instagram video, which showed them how to go for “hydros” at Walgreens, police said.
“[He] expressed to the group that they should go home, but they had driven 15 hours to get to Casper, so [they] talked themselves into robbing a store,” the affidavit states. “They talked themselves into trying as they had never tried to rob a store and ‘it didn’t hurt to try.’”
There is no evidence that a gun was actually brought inside Walgreens, but officers found a small pistol magazine and rifle ammunition while executing a search warrant on their car, the affidavit shows.
In court Tuesday, Slaughter told the judge he had a baby on the way and has never committed a crime before. He has been a security guard for the DMV and welfare offices since he was 18, he said.
“I’m not a bad guy,” Slaughter said. “I just wanna get home to my baby’s mom.”
All three men were charged with felony aggravated robbery and felony conspiracy to deliver hydrocodone, oxycodone and methadone. Assistant District Attorney Ava Covert told the court that authorities believe Jemison carried out the robbery and confined the workers in the store, which is why he is facing a third felony charge for kidnapping.
Green and Slaughter’s bonds were set at $150,000. Bond was set at $200,000 for Jemison. They are scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday.
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