FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) – A man robbed the Cornerstone Specialty Pharmacy and took 10 bottles of pills before being arrested by authorities, police say.
Christopher Joiner, 32, of Huntington, Calif. was booked into the Washington County Detention Center at 3:50 p.m. on Tuesday (Oct. 14), according to the jail’s intake log. Joiner faces charges of aggravated assault, commercial burglary, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, fleeing, reckless driving, speeding, driving left of center, no turn signal, failure to stop or yield, improper lane change, no proof of insurance and failure to register vehicle, the intake report states.
At 10:23 a.m., Joiner went into the pharmacy and handed the manager a note. The note said Joiner had a gun and wanted prescription medication given to him. He requested specific medicine and was given 10 bottles of pills before he left the pharmacy, according to an arrest report.
The manager said he never saw a gun, but he assumed the suspect had one. He also told police that he was fearful for his employees, the report states.
Joiner left the pharmacy, and the manager followed him to his vehicle. When Joiner drove out of the parking lot, the manager followed in his own vehicle until police arrived, according to the report.
Police attempted to stop Joiner, but he refused to yield, and a chase was started, the report states.
He eventually stopped his vehicle and surrendered to police at Glenbrook Place and Mission Blvd., the report states.
The manager told police that the value of the pills taken was estimated to be $200, according to the report. During an interview, Joiner refused to provide any statement without a lawyer present.
Police noted in their report that facts and evidence from this arrest were similar to two other recent reported incidents involving stolen pills.
On Oct. 12, a subject matching Joiner’s description entered another pharmacy and provided a similar note demanding prescription medication. Video surveillance from that business showed Joiner in the store. He got away with a small amount of pills before fleeing from the business, according to the report.
On Oct. 11, a pharmacy in southern Fayetteville reported that a subject attempted to break into the business through the drive-through window. Surveillance video shows the subject driving around the business multiple times in his vehicle before trying to enter the pharmacy, the report states.
The vehicle in the Oct. 11 video matched Joiner’s automobile from the Oct. 14 robbery, and police noted in their report that it is “reasonable to believe his intent at the other pharmacy was to break in and steal the same medication.”
Since Joiner is from California, police requested a high bond be set for him, the report states.
His first hearing is scheduled for Oct. 17 at 7:45 a.m., according to the jail’s intake report.
