Good planning at DeForest pharmacy helped police nab suspected oxycodone robber

SANDY CULLEN | Wisconsin State Journal | scullen@madison.com | 608-252-6137

The staff at DeForest Hometown Pharmacy knew it was just a matter of time before the man wanted in a string of oxycodone robberies from Lincoln, Neb., to northern Illinois would target their store at 645 N. Main St.

And they were ready, with a well-rehearsed plan they executed Tuesday, resulting in the arrest of Tony Taylor, 35, of Delavan.

Madison police Detective Sgt. Dave Miller said Taylor, who is being held in Dane County Jail, is the prime suspect in more than 20 incidents throughout the region that have been the focus of a team of investigators from more than a dozen agencies.

Since November, Miller said, more than $87,000 worth of the prescription painkiller has been stolen from pharmacies in a series of robberies, all but a few believed to have been committed by Taylor.

"We were on hyper alert," Jim Butcher, manager of DeForest Hometown Pharmacy, where staff knew the robber typically struck around 4 p.m.

"DeForest police had been in several times to remind us what to do" if he came in, Butcher said, adding, "We rehearsed that with the staff."

As soon as Taylor walked through the door at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Butcher said, a 17-year-old clerk noticed the pulled-up hood of his jacket, which she recognized from surveillance photos of previous robberies. She also noticed paint or plaster marks on his shoes, which also had been described in prior robberies, Butcher said.

With her was a 24-year-old clerk, who also made the connection between Taylor and the recurring robberies. While she called 911, Butcher said, her co-worker ran to the back of the store and through a door to alert employees at the business next door, locking the door behind her to block a potential escape route.

Meanwhile, Taylor had made his way to the pharmacy area at the back of the store, where Butcher said he and several other employees also immediately recognized him from surveillance photos shared by police, who had made sure staff were aware and prepared for such an encounter.

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Good planning at DeForest pharmacy helped police nab suspected oxycodone robber