Laurel Man Sentenced Over 15 Years In Prison For 5 Armed Pharmacy Robberies Across Maryland
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A judge has sentenced a 20-year-old Laurel man to 15 years and a month in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for stealing thousands of dollars' worth of opioids in 2017.
Arthur Raymond Prince was sentenced for robbery of controlled substances, and for carrying and brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with the armed robbery or attempted armed robbery of five pharmacies.
He was sentenced April 9.
According to plea agreements, between May 5 and November 29, 2017, Prince and his co-conspirator Jawanza Carter, were involved in five armed robberies of pharmacies.
In each robbery, Carter pointed a gun at the clerk, and Prince and Carter demanded opioid narcotics such as Oxycodone, OxyContin, Percocert and Codeine.
In most of the robberies, the plea agreements said, they would also steal money from the cash register and/or rob the clerk.
They both admitted they robbed:
- the Howard Pharmacy in Columbia, Md., on May 5, 2017
- the Lorven Pharmacy in Laurel, Md., on June 19, 2017
- the Pasadena Pharmacy in Pasadena, Md., on August 25, 2017
- the Annapolis Professional Pharmacy in Annapolis, Md., on November 29, 2017
They also attempted to rob the Pace Wellness Pharmacy in Pasadena on August 25, 2017, but were not successful when the clerk didn't know where the drugs were located. Instead, the two stole $180 from the cash register and robbed the clerk of her purse, which had $50 and credit cards, among other items.
Prince was arrested after the robbery on November 29, 2017, in Odenton, Maryland, not far from where law enforcement located the stolen narcotics. Carter was arrested later at the home of his girlfriend in Laurel, Maryland.
Prince attempted to obstruct justice after his arrest. When he learned his girlfriend was scheduled to testify before a federal grand jury, Prince "coached her" regarding her testimony, telling her in a recorded jail cell, "You don't know nothing, nobody, OK? Get that through your f***ing skull. Get that through your melon, OK? Nada."
Carter pleaded guilty to robbery involving controlled substances and to brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in connection with the armed robberies of five pharmacies.
Carter faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for robbery involving controlled substances and a mandatory minimum of seven years and up to life in prison for brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Carter's sentencing is scheduled for August 21 at 2:30 p.m.
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