Pharmacy robber sentenced to 13 to 17 years

Albany

A city man behind three pharmacy robberies, two at the same store, was sentenced to 13 to 17 years in prison Thursday as he blamed his crime spree on a drug relapse.

Timothy O'Connor, 30, held up a CVS pharmacy on Madison Avenue on Sept. 6 using a claw-armed hammer and swiped money from the register. He returned Sept. 18 to the same store, displayed a note saying he had a gun, and demanded oxycodone, a painkiller. Then on Sept. 19, he robbed a Rite Aid on Central Avenue and displayed what appeared to be a pistol. He swiped a half-ounce of oxycodone, authorities said.

"I never wanted to hurt any of the victims in my case or scare the city of Albany," O'Connor told state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Breslin at his sentencing. "I never wanted to harm anyone. I'm not a violent person by nature."

Blaming his spree on a relapse into drug use, he said he feels "calm in a way" as he heads into prison.

O'Connor, who violated the conditions of his Albany County Drug Court program, pleaded guilty in January to attempted first-degree robbery. He received 11 years for the those crimes and another 2 to 6 years for violating terms of drug court.

The sentences will run consecutively, prosecutors said.

"Prior to these actions, Mr. O'Connor had been given an opportunity at sobriety," Albany County District Attorney David Soares said in a statement. "While treatment is often the best course for defendants with addictions, we simply can not accept the violence imposed on others as is the case here ... the lengthy state prison sentence imposed upon the defendant is appropriate for the crimes he committed."

He will also receive five years of post-release supervision. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Hauf.

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Pharmacy robber sentenced to 13 to 17 years