The man who stole an idling car from an Independence Township gas station Oct. 30 and robbed a nearby drugstore moments later told police he needed the money to support his crack addiction.
Brian Lafferty, 37, was arraigned in 52-2 District Court on charges of strong-arm robbery and unlawfully driving away an automobile.
Sgt. Matt Baldes of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Independence Township substation, said Lafferty has an extensive criminal history and was paroled in July after a previous armed robbery conviction.
Lafferty told investigators he smoked $500 worth of crack in Pontiac before setting out to walk back to the Clarkston area, where he lived with his mother and step-father since his release from prison over the summer.
On the way, he said, he was jumped by five men who assaulted him and took his money.
As he approached the Speedway on Dixie Highway near Maybee Road, Lafferty saw an unattended Jeep left running in the parking lot.
The Jeep’s owner, a 33-year-old Grand Blanc man, said he’d run into the gas station for a coffee after finishing his shift at a nearby restaurant and was only inside a moment when he saw his vehicle back up and enter the northbound lanes of Dixie Highway.
The man told police he raced outside in an attempt to prevent the theft of his vehicle, then called 911.
Lafferty then drove to the Walgreen’s Pharmacy on the corner of Dixie Highway and White Lake Road, entered the store and told the clerk he wanted all the money from the register.
The young male clerk told police he never saw a weapon, nor did Lafferty ever claim he was armed.
‘He didn’t appear dangerous,? the clerk said in a written statement given to police, ‘and made no movements as if he was going to hurt me.?
However, he said, all store employees are trained turn over the cash and take no chances when a robbery demand is made.
The suspect fled on foot with $724, and was seen entering an adjacent wooded area.
Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies from Independence Township quickly set up a perimeter with assistance from Springfield Township, Alcohol Enforcement and Traffic units and Clarkston Police.
A K-9 unit, as well as a helicopter unit also responded to the scene, and the suspect was taken into custody, along with evidence from the robbery, when he was found lying in the brush moments after the search began.
A cardboard box, containing drug paraphernalia and a copper scouring pad, commonly used as a make-shift part for homemade crack pipes, was found inside the Jeep.
The vehicle was impounded while investigators collected forensic evidence.