A 36-year-old New Jersey man resident has been charged with third-degree burglary and theft of a controlled substance in connection with a pharmacy break-in. The theft charges stem from a January incident in which a local pharmacy in Manville was allegedly burglarized and nine bottles of Oxycodone were taken.
Manville police were called to the scene in response to an alarm that went off inside the drug store. Upon arrival, officers discovered that a large window near the rear entrance had been broken with a rock. A search revealed that a locked cabinet had been forcibly opened and the drugs removed. A video camera in operation at the time revealed the suspect, who was arrested by police a short time later. The suspect has recently received his charges, and bail was set in the amount of $20,000.
Break-ins at pharmacies may not be too common because of the of security measures taken in many stores that sell prescription medications. In fact, laws require pharmacies to keep certain narcotic substances under lock and key. However, there are occasional break-ins or attempted thefts, which are often triggered by severe drug addictions. In the case that someone is motivated by a substance-abuse problem, he or she is likely having trouble using sound judgment.
A criminal defense attorney has several options for defending a suspect accused of a theft crime. When a defendant is shown to have a serious drug habit, some judges may be willing to forego a long prison sentence if the suspect is willing to receive intensive treatment. While there are no guarantees that a judge will order a rehabilitative sentence for a drug crime, criminal defense lawyers can work to protect their clients and make sure they are treated fairly at every step of a criminal trial.
Source: The Messenger-Gazette, “Manville resident charged in pharmacy burglary,” Feb. 13, 2013