An Indianapolis man was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for a string of pharmacy robberies in Indianapolis.
Jensen Gayden, 20, pleaded guilty Friday to four counts of interference with commerce by threats of violence and one count of possession of a firearm during a violent crime.
“Pharmacy robberies are not only acts of violence that put our community in harm’s way, but they also contribute to the opioid abuse problem which has become such a scourge in Indiana and around the country,” U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler said in a press release.
On June 22, 2015, Gayden walked into the Walgreens on Kessler Boulevard North in Indianapolis and approached the pharmacy desk, according to court documents. He handed the pharmacist a note demanding a variety of controlled substances. He ordered the pharmacist to get everything on the list or he was “going to kill everybody in here.”
The pharmacist complied and gave Gayden a range of drugs, including Oxycodone and Percocet, from behind the counter. On June 24, 2015, Gayden attempted to rob the CVS on East Washington Street in Indianapolis. However, when he handed the pharmacist the note outlining the drugs he wanted, the pharmacist said the store didn’t carry those substances.
Gayden fled the scene and the pharmacist called the police, according to court documents.
Gayden tried again the same day and succeeded when a pharmacist surrendered several pill bottles to him in the CVS on North College Avenue in Indianapolis after he threatened to kill several patrons.
Later that day Gayden returned to the first Walgreens he had robbed. Employees recognized him from the previous robbery as he lingered in the pharmacy area and called the police, according to court documents. When Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived at the scene, they saw Gayden exit the Walgreens. The officers chased him down the street. As Gayden ran, he dropped the note he’d been using to commit the robberies.
“This is a 45 sec robbery!!” the note read. “Give me to bag’s you got (45 sec.)” (sic.)
When police apprehended Gayden, they found he’d been carrying a loaded Glock in the waistband of his shorts.
Gayden will have to pay full restitution for the products he stole. He will also pay a $1,000 fine and serve two years of supervised release after his sentence.
