Pantyhose bandit brandishes BB gun to rob pharmacy

WASILLA — A man wearing pantyhose over his head brandished a BB gun to knock over a pharmacy, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Investigator Mark Granda filed an affidavit in the case against Tommy Wayne King, 49, stating that troopers were summoned to the Geneva Woods Pharmacy at 12:56 p.m. Friday.

“A male … entered the pharmacy wearing panty hose on his head with a gun demanding oxycontin,” Granda wrote.

Troopers talked to at least two pharmacy employees. A pharmacy technician told them she was working at a computer when she heard a man say, “Give me all of your Oxycontin 80s.”

Like a lot of prescription medications, Oxycontin comes in different varieties depending on the weight, in milligrams, of the drug in the pills. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Oxycontin comes in 10-, 20-, 40- or 80-milligram tablets.

The pharmacy technician told troopers the man gave her 30 seconds to hand over the pills, “before I start shooting.”

The second pharmacy employee troopers talked to said she was working in her area when she heard the commotion at the front counter. When she emerged from her office, the man was pointing a gun at the technician and he turned to point it at her.

The second employee told troopers she went to the locker in which the pharmacy stores its narcotics, “took out one bottle of oxycontin, … walked back toward the counter and threw the bottle over King’s head … then ran into the bathroom and hit the panic button.”

Troopers were on the scene in short order and learned the man fled in an older-model black Chevrolet SUV. Lt. Steve Adams with the troopers’ Bureau of Highway Patrol caught up with the SUV at Bogard Road and Peck Street and tried to stop him.

But the SUV didn’t yield.

“King ran several vehicles off the roadway in an attempt to elude troopers,” Granda wrote.

Troopers talked to one woman who had been run off the road who said she’d been afraid for herself and her two children, who were in the car with her, Granda’s affidavit stated.

At Schrock Road, the SUV went out of control and crashed. The driver got out and ran, but troopers caught up with him a short while later. They identified the driver as King and brought him back to the trooper post on Pittman Road to interview him.

“King stated he went to Wal-Mart where he purchased a BB gun, panty hose and a hat before he went to the Geneva Woods Pharmacy,” Granda wrote. “Before arriving at the pharmacy he stopped and covered his license plate with shaving cream.”

Granda wrote that King told troopers he was high on methadone while they spoke and had taken several pills at 10 a.m. that day.

“During the interview King appeared to be under the influence and he was nodding and falling asleep. King’s balance was swaying and wobbling,” the report said.

King was jailed at the Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility, charged with robbery, assault, failure to stop for a police officer, resisting arrest, drunken driving and driving with a revoked license.

His bail was set at $50,000, according to court records, and he will have to find a third party to watch over him before he can be released. Jail records late Monday afternoon showed he was still at the Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.