A 57-year-old remains in custody at the Platte County Detention Center, charged with a felony for robbing a pharmacy at a local hospital last week.
According to court documents, a former patient at St. Luke’s Hospital North later identified as Jeffry Joseph of Kansas City, Mo. entered the pharmacy at about 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 4 and placed a black handgun on the counter in front of two employees. He then demanded Oxycontin, Hydrocodone and money.
The workers said they placed the items in the bag, and the suspect fled the area.
Kansas City (Mo.) Police Department officers responded to an armed robbery call. Upon arrival, the workers identified Joseph through a check of computer records and provided authorities with his address.
A residence check found Joseph at a nearby apartment, and officers took him into custody. A check of his vehicle in the parking lot found a container for a Sig Sauer airgun in plain view.
The employees reported that they gave Joseph between 1,300 and 1,400 painkillers and $85 in cash. One of the workers said that Joseph had attempted to refill his prescription pain medication at the pharmacy before.
According to court documents, Joseph was only allowed to refill his prescriptions at a designated pharmacy, which she remembered as the nearby Hy-Vee grocery store.
Both victims in the robbery identified Joseph as the perpetrator from a photo lineup.
According to court documents, Joseph gave a full confession to his involvement in the crime while being interviewed. He confirmed the weapon used was an airgun and not a firearm. The money was in his wallet, and the pills and airgun were located in the bedroom of his apartment.