Man sent to prison for stealing OxyContin

GALESBURG -- A Galesburg man convicted of stealing OxyContin pills from a local drug store will spend time in prison for the crime.

Knox County Circuit Judge James Stewart on Wednesday sentenced 56-year old Steven Jones to five years in prison for robbery. Jones had pleaded guilty to the charge earlier this year.

Jones was arrested in May 2008 after he allegedly walked into a Walgreens store and demanded the pharmacist on duty give him all of the prescription painkiller available.

Jones said at the time of the theft he was "very sick," and had a dependency on OxyContin that later turned to addiction.

Before sentencing, the pharmacist Jones robbed told the court in a victim impact statement her ability to do her job has been "seriously affected" by the incident.