Jarrettsville Pharmacy Robber Sentenced To 29 Years

BEL AIR, MD - A Jarrettsville man was sentenced to almost 30 years in prison this week for robbing the Jarrettsville Pharmacy over the summer. Lee Roy Peters Jr., 41, of Jarrettsville, admitted to using an airsoft gun to steal nearly 2,000 Oxycodone pills from the pharmacy.

Peters pleaded guilty to armed robbery, assault and violating probation from three other cases, according to the state's attorney. He received a 29-year sentence this week in Harford County Circuit Court.

The case stemmed from the June 10 robbery of the Jarrettsville Pharmacy in the 3700 block of Jarrettsville Road. Authorities were called to the establishment around closing time after Peters, who was wearing a mask, threatened the pharmacist on duty with what looked like a handgun, demanding Oxycodone and benzodiazepines, according to the state's attorney.

The pharmacist complied and Peters shoved a customer into a display rack before leaving, the state's attorney reported.

A customer who had seen a man going into the store with two masks on followed him inside and called 911, officials said.

About 0.25 mile from the pharmacy, officials found Peters, who had crashed his four-wheeler, the state's attorney said. Officials said they recovered an airsoft gun and 1,963 Oxycodone pills with an estimated value of $650.

The pharmacist testified at sentencing that her family is worried about her closing the pharmacy, where her trust has been impacted when people are purchasing narcotics and syringes, the state's attorney reported.

Senior Assistant State’s Attorney David Ryden thanked the citizen who called police "for recognizing that something wasn’t right and taking measures to protect the women he knew" and advocated for the lengthy sentence because he said that Peters "squandered a prior opportunity" for drug treatment in 2016 in the courts.

The 29-year sentence included 15 years for robbery, six years for assaulting a bystander and eight years for violating probation in three other cases, the state's attorney said. Ryden said that he hopes the sentence deters Peters and other people considering committing violent crimes in Harford County.

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