Man arrested in armed robbery

SANDPOINT — A Las Vegas man was swiftly apprehended after allegedly robbing the White Cross pharmacy of its entire OxyContin supply on Wednesday.

Zachariah David Lindberg, 22, was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery, Sandpoint Police Chief Mark Lockwood said. Lindberg is expected to make an initial appearance in the magistrate division of 1st District Court today.

Lindberg reportedly entered the pharmacy on U.S. Highway 2 shortly before 5 p.m. and demanded the notoriously addictive painkiller. Lindberg told store personnel he had a firearm, although it was not displayed, Lockwood said.

Lindberg apparently fled into the neighborhood south of the highway, but within 10-15 minutes he was spotted on Ontario Street. Lockwood, who was the arresting officer, said Lindberg was clad in a T-shirt and “acting hinky.”

Lockwood added that Lindberg acted as though he was going to take off running, but appeared to think better of it.

“We started to pat him down and kept finding bottle after bottle,” said Lockwood.

Lindberg was reportedly wearing a large or extra large brownish/gray fleece jacket or sweatshirt, a black watch cap and gloves when he was in the pharmacy. Those articles of clothing, however, were not recovered when Lindberg was arrested and are being sought as evidence.

Residents on South Division, Olive and Marion avenues, in addition to West Erie Street, are asked to be on the lookout for these items on their properties or in their garbage cans.

Lockwood said 234 doses of the painkiller, which contain oxycodone, were recovered. He estimated the 10- and 80-milligram tablets had a street value of up to $10,000.

The Idaho State Judiciary data repository indicates Lindberg is from Nevada, although he’s been recently arrested on driving and traffic-related offenses in Bonneville and Jerome counties. He was arrested as a juvenile for battery, petty theft and possession of a concealed weapon in Kootenai County in 2000.

The White Cross pharmacy was burglarized in 2006 and thousands of doses of prescription pharmaceuticals were stolen. Brandon Lewis Ochoa pleaded guilty to the break-in and was sentenced to six months to 12vvv years in prison in 2007.

Ochoa was paroled last year, according to the Idaho Department of Correction.

Those with information about the case or the whereabouts of the missing evidence are asked to call Sandpoint Police at 265-1482.