08.27.10 - 8:14 am

Grand juries in Multnomah and Yamhill counties have indicted a Grand Ronde resident on eight counts of second-degree robbery in connection with OxyContin heists at Willamette Valley pharmacies, including two at the Newberg Walgreens.

Robert Stephen Webb, 54, appeared Wednesday before Judge Cal Tichenor in Yamhill County Circuit Court.

He was arraigned on three counts of second-degree robbery, a Measure 11 offense punishable by a lengthy mandatory-minimum prison sentence, along with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count each of first- and second-degree theft, all lesser charges. Bail was set at $300,000.

Witnesses testifying against him before the grand jury included detective Eric Ronning of the Newberg-Dundee police and a Walgreens employee.

In Multnomah County, Webb was indicted on five counts of second-degree robbery. Bail was set at $1.25 million.

Webb gave a Sherwood address when arrested, but his most current address is 9513 Raven Loop in Grand Ronde, according to the Oregon Judicial Information Network. He is being held in Portland�s downtown Justice Center.

Webb has retained criminal defense attorney Marc Blackman of Portland to represent him in both counties.

Portland police apprehended him in late March, after citizen tips led to his identification. Four of the five robbery charges in Multnomah County stem from heists at a Safeway pharmacy on Southwest Barber Boulevard, and the fifth to one at the Bi-Mart pharmacy on Southeast Powell Boulevard, according to detective Brett Hawkinson of the Portland police.

In Yamhill County, Webb stands accused of robbing the Newberg Walgreens the Sunday afternoons of Feb. 28 and March 7.
In both incidents, a middle-aged man walked directly back to the pharmacy counter, simulated a handgun in a jacket pocket, demanded and obtained OxyContin, then walked out. Caught on surveillance video, he displayed the same appearance and manner in each of the robberies.

In both of the Newberg cases, a white, mid-size pickup was seen leaving the area afterward. Newberg-Dundee Police Sgt. Tim Weaver said detectives thought initially the robber might have had an accomplice, but had since come to the conclusion he acted alone.

OxyContin robberies staged at pharmacies in other counties, including Linn and Marion, remain open. However, a 21-year-old Gresham man has been charged with the February robbery of a Walgreens in Troutdale and a 49-year-old Salem woman with the April robbery of a Walgreens in Salem.

OxyContin is a brand-name time-release version of the synthetic narcotic oxycodone, developed as an alternative to natural opiates like morphine, heroin and codeine. It is prescribed for its powerful painkilling properties, but is highly addictive and often abused.

this is robert webb. i know him as bob. ashton spent a significant amount of time with this man. stayed at his house. celebrated holidays.

this is dustys father. sarahs ex.

i close my eyes and slowly shake my head about this for a few reasons. first, the reason i am aware of this is from ashton. sarah told him. why would she do that? i have no idea. ashton was very fond of him and probably didnt need to know this. second, i liked bob. during sarahs relationship with dusty, bob was the only one who would ever come up to me, shake my hand and talk to me like a person. his wife would give me cold shrill stares and terse responses to my conversation. he seemed like a stand up guy. more relatable to my own parents than sarahs.

however, the fact that he just happen to be stealing from pharmacies the exact narcotic that sarah was abusing is rather concerning. was he supplying her? i dont know. probably not.

but its so disheartening to know that everything sarah has been connected to is falling to shit.

she is cursed.