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Pharmacy Robber Gets 15 Years In Prison

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By KYLE MARTIN

Hernando Today

Published: March 27, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - Several hours trekking through the woods to avoid law enforcement capture earned a Brooksville man 15 years in prison on Thursday.

Martin Carr accepted the sentence - which he must serve in its entirety - in lieu of trial on five felony charges Monday.

Most of those charges stem from a three-month rash of pharmacy robberies that came to a head with a high-speed police chase last May. The robberies began March 18, when Carr slipped a note to a pharmacist at the CVS across the street from Weeki Wachee Springs.

The note demanded the prescription drug oxycodone "quickly and quietly and no one will get hurt," according to court records.

On March 31, Carr's associate, Brian Aubertine, robbed two New Port Richey pharmacies using a similar note, authorities say. On April 28, a plucky pharmacist in Homosassa almost stopped the robbery streak when he refused to hand over the drugs.

Instead, the pharmacist used the store's public address system to announce the attempted robbery and give a description of the suspect. The assistant manager chased Carr from the store, causing him to stumble. The suspect's sunglasses fell from his face, giving one employee a good look at Carr's features.

The close call apparently wasn't enough to deter the robbers, though, and they tried their luck again on May 5 in Crystal River. When Carr slipped the note to the pharmacist, he was again chased by the manager.

Carr and his accomplices sped away, but Citrus County deputies soon began a southbound pursuit on U.S. 41. Hernando County authorities joined in as Carr continued south before crashing into a fence at Spring Lake Highway and Hayman Road. The suspects bailed out and prompted an hours-long manhunt through the backwoods of the Spring Lake area.

The suspects were eventually caught. A pharmacist from the first CVS robbery in March recognized Carr's photo from the newspaper and told authorities. With her testimony detectives were able to charge Carr with that robbery.

As he awaited trial on charges of fleeing to elude, driving on a suspended license and strong arm robbery, Carr also punched a handcuffed inmate at the jail. He was charged with battery. Earlier this month, he was caught chiseling away at the bars to his cell window with a makeshift tool.

Carr was initially charged with attempting to escape, but that will be downgraded to criminal mischief, Assistant State Attorney Rob Lewis said Thursday.

The combined punishment of all these charges is 15 years in prison. He will be pleading to the Citrus County robberies next month and that sentence will run concurrent to this one, Lewis said.

Also Thursday:

Criminal probation was terminated for a woman accused of using her court position to comprise the identity of an undercover deputy.

Authorities considered Kijafa Brown as a lookout for a drug ring operating in Brooksville. Brown used her former position as a court clerk to alert key players in the drug ring of pending search warrants and leaked the identity of a narcotics deputy.

Her open guilty plea last May allowed Circuit Judge Jack Springstead to decide on a sentence. While acknowledging the seriousness of the offense, Springstead said he wanted to treat her like everyone else and gave her three years probation.

On Thursday, Brown's lawyer asked that her probation be terminated because she had met all of the conditions. Springstead replied that he was hesitant because Brown "violated a very serious trust." But in keeping to his earlier commitment of equal treatment, he placed Brown on much lighter administrative probation.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352- 544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.

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