Brothers from Auxvasse, Mo., charged in pharmacy robbery

Two brothers from central Missouri were charged Thursday with five felonies each for their roles in the robbery and bomb threat at Medicap Pharmacy in Scott City.

Hunter W. Foster, 18, and Harrison S. Foster, 20, of Auxvasse, Mo., were arrested Wednesday at the Super 8 Motel in Cape Girardeau less than two hours after the robbery. They were being held Thursday at the Scott County Jail on bonds of $75,000 each.

The Fosters were each charged with pharmacy robbery, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, making a terrorist threat and possession of a controlled substance. The pharmacy robbery and armed criminal action charges each carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. The drug possession and terrorist threat charges are both class C felonies, which carry a maximum penalty of seven years. The weapon charge is a class D felony that can result in a prison term of four years.

According to the employees of Medicap, a tall, thin man entered the pharmacy at 2220 Main St. in Scott City shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday carrying a duffel bag. The man showed a knife, said the bag contained a bomb and demanded OxyContin, a brand name for a strong addictive narcotic. When the man fled, he got into a white car with another man and a woman.

The duffel bag was filled with shoes, said Brandon Caid, a detective with the Scott County Sheriff's Department. The bag was blown up as a precaution by the Southeast Missouri Regional Bomb Squad.

Police said the woman was unaware of the robbery plan until after it took place and ordered the men from her car after leaving the parking lot of the pharmacy. She drove to the Scott City Police Department, reported the robbery and helped with finding and arresting the Fosters. The woman's name has not been released, and she has not been charged with any crimes.

Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said Wednesday the two men were not from Southeast Missouri but were working in the area and familiar with the region. Auxvasse is in northern Callaway County, about 100 miles west of St. Louis.

No court date has been set for either man.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126