News (Media Awareness Project) - US MI: Pharmacist To Pull OxyContin From Shelves |
| Title: | US MI: Pharmacist To Pull OxyContin From Shelves |
| Published On: | 2001-11-04 |
| Source: | Traverse City Record-Eagle (MI) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-25 05:29:21 |
PHARMACIST TO PULL OXYCONTIN FROM SHELVES
TRAVERSE CITY - Cherrywood Pharmacy, the target of an OxyContin armed robbery Friday morning, has pulled that powerful painkiller from its shelves to avoid becoming the target of future holdups.
"I'm having a big banner made," said pharmacist and owner Sunny Letizio. "I'm not going to deal with it anymore."
Letizio said she knows that her decision will cost her business. Customers who need OxyContin will more than likely stop coming to her pharmacy for other items.
In business for only 14 months, Letizio has also been targeted twice by burglars. Fallout from the armed robbery could jeopardize her dream of running her own pharmacy.
"I'm not going to quit just yet, but I'm not going to sell OxyContin," she said. Letizio said she will also stop selling other prescription drugs that could be targeted by drug addicts.
Two 20-year-olds are in jail this weekend after police caught them soon after one of them allegedly went into Letizio's pharmacy with his face covered, stuck a pistol-style BB gun at her, and demanded OxyContin.
Paul Liss and Victor Lawrence Stephenson, both of Traverse City, face up to life in prison if convicted on charges of armed robbery. Both are being held at the Grand Traverse County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.
Letizio said one of the men cased her pharmacy minutes before the robbery.
She said a young man came into the store and complained of a headache. Letizio thought he was a student trying to get to school despite a headache. But the young man didn't want to buy a whole bottle of Tylenol.
"I opened up the bottle," she said. "I said, 'just go ahead and take this and I hope you feel better.' "
When a man appeared minutes later with what looked like a handgun and a mask covering his face, Letizio said at first she was not scared.
"At first I thought it was a joke, I thought, 'this isn't happening,' " she said.
But she handed over 13 bottles of OxyContin when she realized the holdup was no joke. As the robber and a getaway driver tried to flee, Letizio rushed into the parking lot and flagged down a truck.
She said she communicated with her hands to the driver of the pickup to follow the car, and he did, calling police as he followed the men to the Cherryland Center where the men were soon arrested by Grand Traverse Sheriff deputies near the entrance to the Younkers Department Store.
"It's because of that man that those kids are in custody today," Letizio said.
TRAVERSE CITY - Cherrywood Pharmacy, the target of an OxyContin armed robbery Friday morning, has pulled that powerful painkiller from its shelves to avoid becoming the target of future holdups.
"I'm having a big banner made," said pharmacist and owner Sunny Letizio. "I'm not going to deal with it anymore."
Letizio said she knows that her decision will cost her business. Customers who need OxyContin will more than likely stop coming to her pharmacy for other items.
In business for only 14 months, Letizio has also been targeted twice by burglars. Fallout from the armed robbery could jeopardize her dream of running her own pharmacy.
"I'm not going to quit just yet, but I'm not going to sell OxyContin," she said. Letizio said she will also stop selling other prescription drugs that could be targeted by drug addicts.
Two 20-year-olds are in jail this weekend after police caught them soon after one of them allegedly went into Letizio's pharmacy with his face covered, stuck a pistol-style BB gun at her, and demanded OxyContin.
Paul Liss and Victor Lawrence Stephenson, both of Traverse City, face up to life in prison if convicted on charges of armed robbery. Both are being held at the Grand Traverse County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.
Letizio said one of the men cased her pharmacy minutes before the robbery.
She said a young man came into the store and complained of a headache. Letizio thought he was a student trying to get to school despite a headache. But the young man didn't want to buy a whole bottle of Tylenol.
"I opened up the bottle," she said. "I said, 'just go ahead and take this and I hope you feel better.' "
When a man appeared minutes later with what looked like a handgun and a mask covering his face, Letizio said at first she was not scared.
"At first I thought it was a joke, I thought, 'this isn't happening,' " she said.
But she handed over 13 bottles of OxyContin when she realized the holdup was no joke. As the robber and a getaway driver tried to flee, Letizio rushed into the parking lot and flagged down a truck.
She said she communicated with her hands to the driver of the pickup to follow the car, and he did, calling police as he followed the men to the Cherryland Center where the men were soon arrested by Grand Traverse Sheriff deputies near the entrance to the Younkers Department Store.
"It's because of that man that those kids are in custody today," Letizio said.
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