BREWER, Maine — Police arrested a Brewer man wanted in connection with two of the three Sept. 29 robberies at area pharmacies after he stepped off a Greyhound bus late Sunday morning, Brewer police Capt. Chris Martin said Sunday afternoon.
John C. Campbell, 35, told police he stole the drugs to feed his opiate addiction. He said he was unemployed and didn’t have access to health care.
“This is an individual with a very serious addiction,” Martin said.
Campbell fled the city soon after the robberies by boarding a Greyhound bus to New York, Martin said. Brewer police Detective Fred Luce learned Sunday that Campbell had purchased a ticket to travel back to Bangor on the bus.
Campbell’s bus arrived at Dysart’s around 11 a.m., where he was met by Luce and Martin. Campbell was wanted on two counts of robbery and one count of theft, all of which are Class B felony charges.
“Evidence was recovered related to the pharmacy robberies,” Martin said, but he couldn’t say what the evidence was because the district attorney’s office hasn’t been informed.
Campbell had been charged in connection with a Sept. 30 attempted robbery at the Rite Aid on Wilson Street in Brewer and the robbery of the Hannaford grocery store pharmacy on Union Street in Bangor that happened a little more than an hour later.
Brewer Public Safety Director Perry Antone said Wednesday that Campbell fled the Brewer drugstore empty-handed. Antone was not sure if Campbell made off with any prescription drugs during the Hannaford heist.
Antone said state police Trooper Barry Merserve and his tracking dog, Zorro, were brought to Brewer just after the robbery there and were able to determine the alleged robber’s last direction of travel.
That, he said, turned out to be important later, when police learned that the suspect had lived in the area where the track ended on Sargent Drive, a short side street that runs off Eastern Avenue, a short distance away from Rite Aid.
Antone said information and evidence that detectives collected at the Brewer crime scene enabled police to link that robbery to the one at Hannaford.
Antone said the felony theft charge stems from his taking a 2010 Toyota Scion from its owner under “circumstances that weren’t exactly what he portrayed them to be.”
The Scion was recovered undamaged Tuesday in New Jersey, where Campbell was pulled over for driving with a suspended license, arrested and then allowed to make bail, Antone said. He said arrangements are being made to return the vehicle to its owner.
The recovery of the alleged getaway car “led us to some of the information we had in the affidavit that led to the arrest warrant,” Antone said.
Jeffrey Macy, 46, of Eastbrook was arrested within minutes of the Sept. 30 robbery of the Rite Aid pharmacy at Union and Fourteenth streets in Bangor.
Despite the unusual timing of the three robberies, Antone said police have concluded the suspects were not working together.
“We’ve found no connection at all between the two,” he said.
BDN writer Dawn Gagnon contributed to this report.
He should have plenty of time to withdraw with a very lengthy prison sentence. If there is a judge who will give him the max.
Hopefully there is a judge who will sympathy on this situation and get him the help he needs to become a normal member of society again. What is withdrawing in prison really going to do for an addict because the moment they get out and someone shoves drugs to them, what decision do you think they’ll make? They need help!
Our prisons are filled with drug addicts who are not getting the help they need to work through their addictions and stay clean when they are released back into society. Withdrawing does not guarantee that, no matter how much time is spent behind bars.
Who is supposed to help those who will not help themselves? It is the perps fault, period. Sorry, do not want to hear about “society’s responsibility” to these freaking low life criminals.
Amen, Amen, and an Amen!
Low life criminals? Are you serious? Have you ever been addicted? Have you ever been turned down for help when asking because you have no insurance? Have you? Don’t judge before you walk a mile in someone elses shoes
An accumilation of making the wrong choices in life.
Many make the right choices in life and will never walk in the shoes of a drug addict. Judging others helps accomplish this.
That’s not entirely true. With many of the things that people are addicted to, yes it was wrong choices that led to it. What about the people who become addicted to pain killers, because it’s the ONLY thing that will stop the pain after they’ve become injured in an accident? They didn’t choose to be in the accident, to endure the pain of whatever injuries they sustained. They (most having been good, decent people all their lives) didn’t realize their bodies were able to become easily addicted to a substance. In these cases, it was a single moment, out of their control, that put them in a very vulnerable place, a place where they learn that their body is susceptible to addiction.
I’m sure that has happened to some people. Some don’t take narcotics just for that reason. Again a good choice would be to kick the addiction.
A bad choice would be to rob a pharmacy to feed the addiction.
Um… addictions aside, let’s say that I never ROBBED anyone. Perhaps the term “low life criminal” was too harsh? What kind of criminal is he?
They have programs if they want to use them. Remember you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.
Even in prison, drug rehab programs have a waiting list, sometimes as long as 2 years.
Hopefully he’ll be there more than two years then he can get all the help he needs.
You also have to have insurance to use those programs
Don’t you think if you have money to waste on drugs you should be able to spend it on something you need. Insurance is just a cop out!
If he had money to waste on drugs, he wouldn’t have robbed a pharmacy, huh?
So he became addicted the day before he robbed the Pharmacy? WOW! At 35 years old he has been doing drugs for quite some time. Did he ever have a job or just steal from people?
He had a job at one point in time and became addicted than. When he lost his job, what was he to do to get his drugs that he needed to be a normal person living in society? Addicts are so addicted that they can’t function in society without the drugs.
I’m sorry, but you don’t seem to get it.By people continually making excuses for him just enables him more to continue on the path that he has chosen.Hopefully when he is in prison paying for his crime he will enroll in a program for help before he gets out. But he has to go to prison.Two robberies and a stolen car he needs about tens years. This will give him time to get cleaned up. Just remember as sad as it may seem he chose his path in life.
You’ve got all the answers huh? Maybe you should march yourself to the Governor’s mansion and kick his fat butt out so you can run the State! He’s obviously not doing a very good job.
I’ve got to say you should thank your lucky stars if you or your loved ones haven’t been affected by drugs or alcohol. You don’t have to agree with what his family is saying but you DO NOT know this person or this family nor do you know the reality behind getting help in Maine! What Maine has to offer people who need help is sorely lacking for the reality of the situation.
I do not condone what this man did but I’m afraid we will be seeing much more of this.
Things will continue to get worse as more programs and medical care are cut. How much crime and death are we willing to allow?
My daughter is a young local pharmacist with a young child at home. She lives in fear every day of having someone stick a gun in her face. She now has a hard time sleeping at night. Regardless-you make some compelling points about the medical system. I hope he and others like him can get the help they need for their sake and for people like my daughter who live in fear at work every day. Good luck to you and your entire family.
I was just think that lil….lol
According to what’s been published in the BDN, 80 bucks a week will get you on a methadone maintenance program at Acadia. Even working on a minimum wage, he could afford that. The problem is that you’re looking at health insurance the same way some others who’re on welfare are…like a handout where you are not forced to accept responsibility for your own actions.
What part of losing his job didn’t you understand? He didn’t have the $80.00 a week. And he didn’t go on any kind of welfare to get a handout but if he did then you would be throwing him under the bus for that. He accepting responsibility for his actions. It’s easy for you guys to say the stuff you say when you have never met him and don’t know him. He is a wonderful man, just went through a bad spell and ended up an addict. No worse then someone becoming an alcoholic…..you know what, I could keep going on and on but not wasting my breath.
I do not sympathize with them for a second. Be held accountable for your actions…THAT is a good place to start. Let them “work through their addictions” without robbing stores and otherwise just being a drain on society.
Obviously you didn’t read where he tried to work through his addiction but everyone turned him away…….and he is being accountable for his actions, why do you think he came back? You don’t know him so please don’t be throwing him under the bus. I do not condone what he did by any means but he is still family and we are all sticking by him no matter what!
The mark of Zorro!
How about this…….what if they tried to get help but they were turned away because there was no more room. Did you ever think about that. I do not condone what they do but they do not need to be turned away when they ask for help and they do not need people like you to bring them down especially when you do not know them or know what they have tried to do to get help. THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How about this….. He is a addict by his own doing,no one else forced him to take drugs. Sooner or later one of these guys are going to kill someone.The people who are being held up are the true victims here,wondering if one of these guys have a gun and are willing to use it. He made himself what he is today and now he should man up and deal with it. If he wants to quit doing drugs bad enough he will do it,as I have done. One other thing Think, he brought himself down,I didn’t
He might have brought himself down but you guys don’t need to dig a bigger hole for him. What matters is he is now in jail and hopefully he will finally get the help that he asked for a long time ago when he got turned away so many freakin’ times!
Too bad he didn’t have family or friends that could have helped him, rather than relying on goverment programs that kept turning him away.
Obviously you’ve never dealt with a family member who has an addiction problem. Consider yourself blessed.
Well for one you do not know this person.
For two yes he needs to be accountable for his crimes.
For three have you walked in an addicts shoes before?
And lastly at least he admitted his wrongs and wants help.
We need more affordable care in this world.
And maybe more people would be able to afford the help they may need.
And more jobs in this society might help as well.
I am not condoning this. I am just trying to make some people see how society is.
You could be the best person and still walk down this road of addiction.
It is not fun.
Addiction is a tough road, it is a fight everyday to fight it, even after one gets help.
Everyone is different on how they deal with it.
What works for one might not work for another.
It is time for us as a society to make things so people can get help.
This is everywhere, in every state in the USA, this is one of our epidemics.
Imagine being sucked into a dark hole, cold, dark, pulling your down, deeper and deeper.
That is what addiction can be to some.
It could be your son, daughter, grandchild, aunt, uncle, mom, dad, grandparent, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, and etc.
Would you want them to be able to get the help they need, to learn and grow from it, and become a better person from this?
I know I would.
Thank you for reading!!!
I USED TO do drugs and I quit. He isn’t getting any pity party from me. He is not the victim!
Then I suspect your addiction wasn’t all that severe. The majority of people who become addicted to drugs don’t make it. They usually die at a young age or spend most of their lives in prison.
It was bad enough so I had to use drugs at work,as soon as I woke up in the morning. All you people are making excuses.That’s a problem with today’s society,everyone is a victim.What about the people these crimes committed on? What about the true victims? These crimes are getting out of hand and people are getting tired of them.Enough is enough! The Police arrest these guys and between the DA and the Judges get a spank on the hand,so they can go out and do it again. Sooner or later some innocent person will get killed then what? I was not a victim, I DID IT TO MYSELF! Society had nothing to DO WITH IT!
Yeah we aren’t making excuses for him, we are trying to explain the situation and the fact that he was an addict with no money, no job and no insurance. I’m so sick of people saying that being an addict is not a disease. He has a disease that affected his decision making and made him do what he did. You don’t know him and if you did, you’d love him to death, he’s a great person and people really need to sit and think about the situation before they run their mouths about it
Maybe if they start making an example of these addicts then people will start to think twice before deciding to try drugs in the 1st place! I am sure nobody just shoved a needle in this man’s arm one day and got him hooked. It was most likely his own bad decision! No different than any other person that commits a crime. They have plenty of rehab programs IN jail!
Well I’m sure you are aware this is a comment section of the paper so people can “run their mouths” (give opinions). The best thing that could happen for him now is stay in jail until his trial and then serve his sentence. If he gets out on bail,if he as addicted as you say he is,he might try to rob someone for drugs who might have a weapons permit and the out come could be deadly,I hope this doesn’t happen but sooner or later someone who is fed up with all the crime is going to react in a negative way.
My sentiments exactly hun!
I disagree….he is just as much a victim!
oh please!
Thanks Aunty, not many people understand and it makes me so mad… He tried to get help numerous times but no one would help him without insurance and he sure as hell couldn’t afford to pay for it by himself.
It is very expensive without insurance. Very. And like I said what works for someone might not work for the next person. Some people can quit without help and some can not. Some may need help over and over…and so forth. Like any addiction it is hard to stop. One needs to find what works for them in order to quit. I wish the best from this for him. And I know he is very sorry for what has happened. I am not making excuses or anything. It is just my opinion. Everyone is entitled to one. (HUGS)
Ill tell you what works……the DESIRE to never do drugs again….a DESIRE to want to improve your life…..and a DESIRE to become a better person….then,and only then will a person start to improve their life. Cry all you want about how no one would help him when the bottom line is it was EASIER for him to ” blame everyone else ” and say he couldnt get help because of no insurance …….Acadia Hospital helps drug addicts every day that DONT have insurance. And they are not the only place in the state of Maine that does that…….so now what is his and YOUR excuse ? I have been down that road myself after catching two rounds and a hunk of shrapnel getting off the morphine was no easy task. IF you want help bad enough you WILL find a way……..but as long as excuses keep being made all you do is enable…….
I am not making excuses. You are right you have to have a desire to stop. But with that desire you also have to seek out options and help. And if you are turned away sometimes makes a person continue. Maybe now he can get the help he needs. He is accountable for his actions, he has made some mistakes, maybe mistakes we all think we would never ever do, but we can beat this comment section down on both sides, and reality is it is an epidemic in this world. And I do not think we have to pay for it. I think it should be cheaper for those who do not have insurance or able to get mainecare and etc. Any healthcare is expensive. Addiction is a rough thing to go through. Everyone handles it differently. Am I condoling his actions or others who have done the same or worse? NO! Do I hope he can get through this and stop? YES! I am not an enabler. I have not and will not be. I am a realist. And he knows from many of us how we feel. But we still love and care about him. I can understand where you are coming from, I can understand the addicts view, the family and friend’s views, the outsiders view. I do not have to agree. Reality also is it happened. Now the next steps have to be taken, which are paying for the crime and getting the help he needs, being sober in jail is one thing, but without the proper help in there and when one comes out, it may not be enough is all I am saying. And like someone said there are thousands of people in jail who are addicts of some sort. And yes they have made the choice to be so. But what are we to do and they to do after they leave jail. Don’t you think if there was more help available, more programs, and etc it would help a little more. Maybe not cure everything but at least help more. And I am sorry we do have programs and such in the area but not nearly enough to help everyone who needs the help. Yes there is acadia, yes there is other houses, yes there is shelters, counseling places and such. But as sad as it is we need more places. As this epidemic grows which it is we need more. These helpers are capable of helping so many people, can only afford to help so many people, and such. I do not know if Drug court is still around or not but if they are they only can have a certain amount of people in the program I think. I could be wrong. And so forth. Yes it is a choice. A bad choice. There are no excuses. There are consequences. With every action there is a reaction. Some can stop. Some can not. Some can without help and some can not. Some have gone through spells where they have quit even for years and have fell off the wagon. Some people have quit and never use again. There are many stories. And on and on and on. I think as a whole as sad as it is this drug addiction is going to get worse in this society. And it is sad. I am not blaming society as a whole just the reality of it. What we have to know is why, why does one use, and find the underlying issues, and maybe with help with those one can also get help with their addiction. Let’s hope that no one close to you has to go through this or worse. And if so I hope they can get the help they need and want to, and it is successful, because it is hard to see a loved one go through something like this or worse. Enjoy your sobriety. It is a gift.
Acadia may have help but what they do is pump more drugs into you. What’s he suppose to do, keep taking methodone everyday. That’s not the answer either. That’s just getting drugs the legal way but it’s still drugs and not help.
When I detoxed I didnt go on methodone……why in the hell would I have wanted to just change one drug for another ? That makes about as much sense as trying to play the guitar with broken fingers !!
That’s why I said before about being turned away when he asked for help. I am so sick of people degrading him when they don’t even know your brother. And yes, if they actually got to know John they would love him as we do.
How about this? This man is my brother and he has an addiction that he could not treat because he had no insurance and every place he went turned him down because of that. I’m not condoning what he did, at all but people do things that they normally wouldn’t do when they are coming off of drugs. I’ve been there done it, got myself cleaned up but with the help of insurance that he has none of.
I did it myself without the use of insurance. The bottom line is if you want something bad enough you will do it.
Some people can’t do it without assistance, they are too bad into it that without it, they feel like death. You’re lucky you got through it without insurance, kudos to you but that doesn’t mean that everyone can.
You are correct; “If you want to do something bad enough you will do it.” For him-he really wanted to do drugs.
I am sorry for what your family is going through. I know Insurance or Not there is help out there if he truely wanted it! Just imagine how you would feel if he killed someone or had been killed committing this crime….
If there are so many places willing to help him out then how come they turned him away?
Lack of insurance is no excuse. Family should help their loved ones in these situations.
Obviously you’ve never dealt with a family member who has an addiction problem. Consider yourself blessed.
I didn’t say it was easy. I have dealt with addiction in my family.
His family is blaming lack of insurance and public programs for his drug addiction and crimes and for the lack of help.
I’m blaming him.
I didn’t say it was easy. I have dealt with addiction in my family.
His family is blaming lack of insurance and public programs for his drug addiction and crimes and for the lack of help.
I’m blaming him.
excellent
How about this, what my sister said…….. Nobody’s perfect and nobody deserves to be perfect. Nobody has it easy and everybody has issues. You never know what people are going through, so pause before you start judging, criticizing or mocking others. everybody is fighting their own unique war!
At some point in this man’s life, he was met with a choice. After enjoying recreational drug use, he realized that he was needing more and more to get the same effect. At that very point in his life was when he needed to STOP…Most of us in this world face that very same choice, with a variety of things we may become addicted to. Drugs and alchohol, and tobacco, are the most serious things we have to choose. I used to party. I knew i was drinking a lot..and it needed to stop, and it did for me. I made the right choice. I also smoked cigarettes when i would drink with friends…Eventually i was smoking even when i wasnt drinking and now 25 years later i am addicted to tobacco and have had a terrible time trying to quit…At that point way back when, i made the WRONG decision. I knew what the outcome could and would likely be. I knew that it would cause health problems, which it has. I knew that it was a Poor Choice. This individual was faced with the same decision, he chose the wrong one, as so many others addicted to drugs do. You want to call it a sickness..Ok, i will bite on that one, but it is a sickness that we bring upon our selves. Why should society have to put up with or pay for OUR OWN poor choices? I dont believe that they should. We need to stop making excuses and start taking responsibility for the things we do. JMHO…thought i would share.
So everyone seems to be judging and criticizing this whole situation.. I for a fact no thet this guy is a very big hearted guy and would never hurt anyone! Some people just have pain they want to get rid of and they cant no matter what they do. So yes they make wrong decisions.. BUT WHO DOESNT?? Everyone has made bad decisions in their life and who are you to judge MY cousin??
Big hearted people don’t hold up Pharmacy’s period.I have make some questionable decisions, but I have never stolen of held up a Pharmacy twice and stole a car to boot!
Not every person is the same yawdem. He is a big hearted person so you can’t judge someone just because you have never done it. When you have an addiction usually you do things that you would never think of doing sober. People that don’t even have an addiction have made bad decisions also. You try to make yourself out to be so perfect just because you no longer have an addiction. You telling me that all addicts are low lives? If that’s what you’re saying then you must be also..( not saying you are, just saying what you said).. You will always be an addict even if you are no longer on the drugs…..just like a reformed alcoholic will always be an alcoholic. Careful who you put down because you put your own foot in your mouth. NEXT!!!!
Not ONCE did I say he was a low life, NOT ONCE, so don’t go putting words in my mouth. I said he should pay for what he has done. There is too much of this going on and sooner or later some innocent person will get killed. Also all the programs in the world are not any good if a person doesn’t really change. I also see the figure $80.00 per week,it’s seems some of the posters here are relatives. If you people love him so much the family couldn’t come up with the $80.00? He has got to pay. If he is serious about getting clean he will have the opportunity while in prison. Think about this,people are getting tired of crime and sooner or later one of these persons with a weapons permit is going to have had enough and the outcome isn’t going to be pretty.I am not saying this is right because in my heart I wouldn’t shoot someone committing a robbery,I would let the Police handle their job. All I’ve heard is he’s an addict from his family.First off he is not the only addict in the world. There are probably millions of them,it’s a very small percentage of them,who rob Pharmacies. So you should drop the he’s an addict defense and face reality. HE broke the law and now he has to pay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its one thing to support your family, its another to ENABLE them every minute. I agree with you, life is about CHOICES, and if we make the WRONG choices, we have to pay for our mistakes. There is MORE coverage (insurance wise) MAINECARE, for the less fortunate, then for honest people like me working full-time.
I am glad you overcame your addiction, and correct me if I’m wrong, addiction is addiction, no matter how one slices it?
First it’s
“Campbell fled the city soon after the robberies by boarding a Greyhound bus to New York, Martin said. ”
Then it’s
“Antone said the felony theft charge stems from his taking a 2010 Toyota Scion from its owner under “circumstances that weren’t exactly what he portrayed them to be.”
The Scion was recovered undamaged Tuesday in New Jersey”
C’mon BDN, which is it???????????????
these pharmacies need to invest in some tighter security… drugs are a big target with the economy the way it is these idiots can’t afford their habits. I believe every day I hear about some druggie stealing drugs, or robbing a pharmacy..
the real problem with those of an addiction is they won’t seek out help.. in their minds they have no issues as long as they can get that next fix. and they don’t care how they get it, who it hurts, or care about the consequences. there’s very little you can do to help them.. methadone clinics don’t work, re-hab can work, but the rehab clinics are short term stop-gaps, and tend to re-introduce the individual back into the very same situations.. these people need to re-locate, and start fresh away from influences, and old habits….
Why not open Dorothea Dix hospital up again and have in house treatment for these drug addicts? It used to be open for mental patients, why not drug addicts now, that there are so many drug addicts in the state. The drug problem seems to be getting worse and worse, as the car burning incident that happened so recently seems to prove. Something has to be done and soon.
Why not open Dorothea Dix hospital up again and have in house treatment for these drug addicts? It used to be open for mental patients, why not drug addicts now, that there are so many drug addicts in the state. The drug problem seems to be getting worse and worse, as the car burning incident that happened so recently seems to prove. Something has to be done and soon.
Mental patients? Really?
Quite an ignorant statement. By the way, Dorthea Dix is STILL open. Serving PEOPLE LIVING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS.
Dorothea Dix Hospital used to be called the insane asylum, then Bangor State Hospital before the name change. My mother was an RN there for over 20 years when it was in full use. I meant no disrepect calling patients ” mental patients”, some were catatonic and would never be able to go home. I know it is still open, but only a small portion of it is in use, and officials keep trying to close it.
If Mr. Campbell had been the first person to rob a pharmacy in our state the comments may not be quite as negative toward this man. This is a crime committed by two distinct groups; (1) addicts looking for drugs to use themselves, and (2) robbers looking to sell them on the street to other addicts for thousands of dollars ( 1 milligram equals one dollar). The employees of the stores robbed, the police, and other groups have had enough. The argument that these robbers are similar to folks with alcohol problems does not hold any merit. Most people that steal booze walk in and walk out without presenting a weapon or note to anyone. They can’t sell liquor for thousands on the street corner and most often don’t cause others to become dependent on alcohol . I have lots of sympathy for people addicted to drugs-however when they commit these crimes they endanger lots of other citizens that happen to be where they are at the wrong time. Americans possess millions of guns. Sooner or later someone with a CWP is going to play hero inside one of these stores and someone is going to get hurt or killed.
Unfortunately citizens with drug issues that don’t rob pharmacies will not get the help they need as the system becomes increasingly overrun by these Felons.
Some people are so misinformed. For all you commenters who say he could’ve just quit, did you know that sometimes when you are addicted to a point, withdrawals can actually kill you? His only option is medical help. Yes, he made a very bad decision, but let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Now which one of you self righteous people can say you have never done something you are ahamed of? I lost a daughter to a drug overdose, and until you see with your own eyes how drugs can grab ahold of someoneand not let go…
Until you have walked in the shoes of someone else, you never truely know the misery they endire. All you people who say he could’ve just quit, he was past that point. Do you know that sometimes withdrawals can actually kill you too? I lost a daughter to drugs, and I saw how they grabbed hold and wouldn’t let go. She had the love and support of her family, as did Johnny, but sometimes the drugs speak louder than a loved one. Yes, he made a very bad choice, but let he who is without sin, cast the first stone. The love of his family and friends will help him through this very difficult time in his life, but he also needs proper medical attention too. And God forbid it be at Acadia. What a joke that state run drugstore is! We love you Johnny and God will see you through this rough time in your life and you will come back strong as ever!!!