Duo accused in Vanderburgh pharmacy holdup

Two Evansville residents robbed a pharmacy Friday of medication that they intended to use to make methamphetamine, according to the Vanderburgh County Sheriffs Office.

Jared Matthew Beard, 24, and Lakyra Shabree Johnson, 25, were arrested shortly after the heist at Nations Pharmacy, 4849 Pollack Ave.

Sheriffs deputies were dispatched to the business at 5:21 p.m. in response to a holdup alarm. They were told a masked duo had demanded pseudoephedrine. One person displayed a knife.

After being given a quantity of the medication, they left in a vehicle.

A witness saw the vehicle arrive at the pharmacy and two people wearing masks enter. The witness, deputies said, noticed that the license plate had been deliberately obscured and cleared off the plate to obtain the license number.

Shortly after the 5:21 p.m. dispatch, a K9 unit with the sheriffs office stopped the vehicle at Lynn Road and Pollack. Deputies said they recovered medication taken in the robbery, as well as a knife. Evansville Police Department officers assisted in the arrest.

According to a sheriffs office news release, Johnson told investigators Beard had attempted to buy pseudoephedrine, which is used to make methamphetamine, at several stores during the day but was refused.

Beard then decided to commit the robbery, Johnson reportedly told authorities.

Johnson and Beard were held in the Vanderburgh County Detention Center without bond on Saturday pending a court appearance.

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Duo accused in Vanderburgh pharmacy holdup