A Hudson man is facing nine felony charges after investigators say he stole thousands of prescription pain pills while working in a grocery store.
Roy Jonathan Cook worked as a stocker for the third shift at Ingles on Connelly Springs Road, said Sgt. David Barbour with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office.
He became a suspect in an investigation after the store’s loss prevention officer found large amounts of hydrocodone pills missing from inside the store pharmacy and matched it with lapses in the pharmacy’s security camera recording and dates the pills were found missing, according to the sheriff’s office. The pills were likely taken on Oct. 30, Nov. 15 and Dec. 5.
An undercover camera was placed in the pharmacy and documented the suspect, wearing a ski mask and gloves, coming into the pharmacy through the drop ceiling and stealing bottles of hydrocodone before escaping back through the ceiling.
“We looked at the shoes on the camera, and they matched (Cook’s) shoes,” Barbour said.
On Dec. 5, sheriff’s deputies and ICE agents talked to Cook at work, who admitted to the thefts.
“He would wait until the wee hours. He would disconnect the camera first. Then he would go into a corner of the building, walk into the ducts and drop down into the pharmacy,” Barbour said.
After stealing the pills, putting them in a bag and going back through the ceiling, Cook would reconnect the camera and go back to work, Barbour said.
“It took 15 to 20 minutes,” Barbour said. “There were other people working while he was doing this.”
He said the store’s loss prevention team had a lot to do with catching Cook.
After Cook admitted to the thefts, he allowed officers to search his pickup truck. Cook is believed to have stolen 2,026 hydrocodone pills, worth $14,200. Of those, 1,156 were found in a toolbox in his truck.
“Based on the number of pills stolen, we believe he was taking some and selling some,” Barbour said.
Cook, 28, was charged with three counts each of possession with intent to sell or deliver hydrocodone, breaking and entering and larceny after breaking and entering. His first court appearance is today.
In addition to the charges, Cook also must pay a drug tax. If you possess 10 or more of a drug dose illegally, you must pay a tax. The payment is submitted to the IRS, which is processed confidentially.
Because Cook did not pay the tax, however, the ICE agents and an agent with the Department of Revenue seized a 1987 Imperial Glastron ski boat and several construction tools Cook owned to pay the tax.
“We didn’t find any money, so we seized property,” Barbour said. “He still owes $30,000 more.”
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