Pubdate: Sat, 21 Aug 2010
Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH)
Copyright: 2010 The Columbus Dispatch
Contact:  http://www.dispatch.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/93
Author: John Futty, The Columbus Dispatch

SON HELPS CONVICT FATHER IN DRUG THEFTS

A father who teamed up with his son to steal OxyContin and Percocet in
a string of robberies of Columbus pharmacies was convicted yesterday
by a Franklin County jury.

Ricky R. Taylor, 49, faces up to 39 years in prison when he is
sentenced Aug. 30 by Common Pleas Judge Patrick E. Sheeran.

Taylor's son, who pleaded guilty a year ago and is serving a 10-year
prison sentence, testified that he and his father robbed five CVS
stores in September and October 2008.

The testimony of 25-year-old Tarail D. Taylor was crucial to the
prosecution's case, which was short on physical evidence.

Defense attorney Javier Armengau told jurors that investigators were
unable to find Ricky Taylor's fingerprints at the crime scenes and
that all the stolen drugs were found with Tarail Taylor. Surveillance
videos from the robberies weren't clear enough to identify the
robbers, and witness descriptions of the robbers varied widely, he
said.

Armengau suggested that Tarail Taylor told police that his father was
involved in the robberies because he was upset at his father for
helping investigators track him down.

A technical malfunction during the taping of a police interview with
Ricky Taylor left investigators with no audio or video of the
statements he made at the time of his arrest. The detective who
interviewed him testified that the father made incriminating
statements, admitting that he was a heroin and OxyContin addict who
drove the car during some of the robberies, but was "too high" to
remember all the incidents.

Jurors deliberated for 21/2 days before convicting Ricky Taylor of
eight counts of robbery and four counts of theft of drugs. He was
acquitted of charges related to one robbery.

The jury also convicted him of possession of heroin and possessing a
gun despite having a drug conviction. Police said he was using heroin
and sitting on a handgun when he was arrested.

Charges of aggravated robbery were dismissed during the trial after
Tarail Taylor testified that he and his father did not have a gun
during the crimes.

The father-son robberies were part of a surge in thefts of OxyContin
from Columbus pharmacies in 2008. The addictive pain medication, seen
by some as an alternative to heroin, was selling on the street for as
much as $80 a pill, police said at the time. Percocet is a blend of
acetaminophen and oxycodone, the generic form of OxyContin.
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