Rader Employee Arrested For Robbery

Friday, April 13th 2007, 8:06 pm

By: News On 6

A man is behind bars Friday after police say he robbed a Sand Springs pharmacy at gunpoint. Officers say the suspect was after prescription drugs. The suspect actually works in law enforcement. Daniel Gregory is a new employee at the L.E. Rader Center, a juvenile detention facility in Sand Springs. The News On 6â€™s Ashli Sims reports officers say he was wearing a Rader shirt when he was arrested.

Sand Springs Police say the Spoon Drug Pharmacy had just opened for business when a man came in not to fill a prescription, but to take it. One of the store's owners said he flashed a weapon and made all 10 employees lay down on the ground.

"He demanded a large quantity of Lortab, which is the brand name for hydrocodone, which is a narcotic,â€ said Sand Springs Police Assistant Chief Mike Carter.

Employees say the gunman knew exactly what he wanted, even showing them an example of the pill.

"It can become highly addictive, and it's one of the street drugs that we deal with pretty consistently," said Carter.

Carter says the pharmacy employees did the right thing by handing over the drugs and calling 911. Sand Springs police arrived within minutes and chased the suspect from the store.

"Someone who would go in in the daytime and do an armed robbery makes that a violent criminal, and we're willing to pursue that subject, and we're just glad no one was hurt," said Carter.

Officers caught up with the suspect after a short chase. A police report says Gregory told them he had taken approximately 100 Lortab pills. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but he is all right.

Officers say Gregory works at the L.E. Rader Center in Sand Springs. A Rader spokesperson confirms Gregory was hired last month as a temporary security officer. His duties included checking Rader's perimeter, monitoring video surveillance and escorting inmates to court. The spokesperson says Gregory underwent an OSBI background check before he was hired.

Rader has now fired Gregory, effective immediately. He's been booked into the Tulsa County Jail on robbery, possession of a firearm and eluding police.