LEWISTON – Charges were reduced Tuesday against one of two suspects nabbed a day earlier in a stick-up at a Lisbon Street pharmacy.
Originally arrested for robbery, 35-year-old Stephen Peterson was charged instead with hindering apprehension.
Police believe the Warren man waited in the car while Asa Troy Thorn, 30, went into Rite-Aid and demanded OxyContin from a store clerk.
The two men drove away moments before police arrived at the scene, according to witnesses. Investigators believe Peterson may have driven the getaway car at some point during their escape.
The pair was caught when a police officer pulled over the vehicle at Ferry and Apple roads minutes after the heist was reported.
Thorn, of Rockland, was charged with robbery, driving while intoxicated, driving with a suspended license and violating probation.
Witnesses – including Rite-Aid employees as well as store customers – helped police to identify the suspects.
Police said some of the stolen OxyContin pills were recovered when Peterson and Thorn were arrested.
At the time of the heist, Thorn was on probation after doing time for a store robbery in Poland. According to court records, the 30-year-old used a gun to stick-up the Poland Mobil at routes 26 and 11.
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