Walgreens Armed Robber Held Up Pharmacy Clerk With Sock

WAUKESHA, WI — A Waukesha man who held up a Walgreens for the pain pills he desperately wanted, did so with the use of a coat hanger and sock.

Eric L. Simpson, 39, Waukesha, has been charged with armed robbery and burglary stemming from the Aug. 29 Walgreens armed robbery and a second crime - a robbery earlier in August in the same neighborhood.

Simpson faces up to 32-and-a-half years behind bars if he is convicted and sentenced to the maximums of each of these two felony charges. He's currently being held in the Waukesha County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond.

According to Simpson's criminal complaint, Simpson entered the Walgreens on Madison St. and handed a note to a pharmacy manager stating that he had a gun and demanded oxycodone.

Police reports indicated that Simpson told pharmacy staff that they had 30 seconds to make good on his request or he would start shooting.

According to his criminal complaint, however, Simpson told authorities that the gun he had tucked in his waistband was actually a fake gun made from a black plastic coat hanger and black sock.

Simpson thought he had walked away with a bottle of oxycodone, only to realize that police surrounded the store, leading to his arrest.

Officers flooded the area and began searching for the suspect with the assistance of the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Unit.

Simpson was boxed-in by the police perimeter and eventually turned himself into an officer without incident. He was safely taken into custody and is cooperating with the investigation

According to his criminal complaint, police searched Simpson's apartment on the 100 block of W. North Ave. later that evening. Authorities found multiple items from an earlier burglary, including a laptop, guitar and a bike valued at approximately $2,000.

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