Man pleads in pharmacy heist

JERROD DECKER

BY STACI WILSON

A Susquehanna County man faces up 32 years in prison and $290,000 in fines for his role in taking nearly $100,000 worth of narcotics from Reddon’s Pharmacy, Susquehanna, and a string of thefts from motor vehicles last fall.

Jerrod Decker, 25, of Hallstead and New Milford, entered guilty pleas Friday to three charges stemming from two separate court cases.

Decker pleaded guilty to felony counts of burglary, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and receiving stolen property.

He is one of the two men that had charged with taking nearly two pharmacy shelves worth of prescription medication, mostly opiates that included Oxycontin and Percocet tablets, from the pharmacy on Oct. 29.

According to District Attorney Jason Legg, Decker helped separate the stolen narcotics and then sold or gave the pills to other people throughout Susquehanna County. He also kept some of the drugs for his personal use, Legg said.

The other man implicated in the drug heist, Darryl Chaffee, was arrested on drug charges in Corbettsville, N.Y., and is being held without bail in Broome County, N.Y.

In court, Decker also admitted to entering numerous vehicles in Great Bend, Hallstead and New Milford and taking personal property from those vehicles in a two-month crime spree last September and October.

Some of the items stolen from the vehicles were recovered when county probation officers arrived at Decker’s Hallstead apartment after he had been implicated in the burglary.

Decker was on probation at the time of his arrest.

Items taken from the vehicles included GPS units, cell phones, a laptop computer and money.

Decker agreed to have the 26 misdemeanor receiving stolen property charges and 26 theft from motor vehicle charges rolled into one felony count of receiving stolen property.

He has also agreed to make restitution to 34 theft victims.

President Judge Kenneth Seamans granted the man’s request to seek a 90-day evaluation at Camp Hill Penitentiary to see if he is eligible to participate in the state’s 24-month, Intermediate Punishment Program.

Decker waived his right to a speedy sentencing in order to be evaluated for the Intermediate Punishment Program.