"Witness, police work led to arrest of musician in holdup; Held on drug, robbery charges" July 12, 2011|By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff
ATTLEBORO - Bassist Michael R. Todd arrived in Massachusetts on a luxury tour bus as part of a four-man band known for a progressive pop and punk-laced rock sound, but hours before their scheduled performance Sunday night at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, he held up a local pharmacy....
As other members of the band Coheed and Cambria walked on stage to the cheers of thousands of fans, Todd was being booked and processed.
Authorities say he robbed a Walgreens here of six bottles of the potent painkiller oxycodone. Todd allegedly walked into the store at Pleasant Street and Starkey Avenue in Attleboro and demanded that the pharmacist give him OxyContin, in which oxycodone is the main active ingredient.
According to court records, the 30-year-old from New York showed the pharmacist a note on the screen of his smartphone that said that he had a bomb and wanted her to give him the narcotic....
Uh-oh!
The robbery allegedly occurred at 12:55 p.m. The pharmacist told him she did not have any OxyContin. Todd allegedly responded, “I’ll take your Perc 30s,’’ apparently referring to 30-milligram pills of Percocet, according to authorities.
After she handed Todd several bottles of oxycodone, he fled....
Todd allegedly fled the store and caught a taxi to the tour bus parked alongside the Comcast Center in Mansfield. His band was scheduled to go on stage at 7:30 p.m.
Four police officers arrived at the Walgreens, interviewed the pharmacist, and scoured the area around the store.
One officer noticed a freshly matted path through tall grass behind the building and followed it.
A witness then approached the officer and told him that he had just observed a man run from behind the building and jump into a dark brown minivan taxi.
Police were able to discover the name of the taxi company and found that a fare picked up at Pleasant Street and Perry Avenue was dropped off at the tour bus. Todd was found on the bus and arrested.
According to court records, he initially denied playing any role in the robbery, but when confronted with evidence from a surveillance video, he admitted to the crime....
Todd was arraigned on armed robbery and drug possession charges in Attleboro District Court. He scanned the crowd several times during the arraignment, but did not appear to recognize anyone sitting in the courtroom....
His New York-based band, the warm-up act for Soundgarden during their one-month reunion tour, has moved on, Todd’s spot filled by Wes Styles....
I guess he was outshined, huh?
After performing without Todd Sunday night, Coheed and Cambria issued a statement on its website....
I can't hear a thing!
--more--"
