PROVO -- The prime suspect in a Provo Walgreens robbery was officially charged Monday, and a second suspect was arrested over the weekend.

Jack Randall Rader, 23, was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony, and possession with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony, in the June 29 early-morning robbery of the Walgreens pharmacy at 1315 N. State St. According to court records, Rader was given a $50,000 bail and assigned public defenders.

Provo police Sgt. Mark Crosby said Rader got away with hundreds of prescription narcotics, with a street value between $15,000 and $30,000, before meeting his friend and getaway driver, David Engstrom, 25.

Provo police say Rader was caught with the aid of excellent surveillance photos, which showed the man in the pharmacy jumping over the counter during the robbery. Crosby said leads started flowing in the day of the robbery after the photos were released to the public.

"Digital pictures, the position of the camera is just great," he said.

The photos likely turned out so well because of the length of time Rader spent casing the pharmacy, Crosby said. Rader allegedly entered the pharmacy around 1 a.m. and spoke with employees for an hour. He then left the store, but returned at 3:40 a.m. and spoke with employees for another 20 minutes before pulling a gun on pharmacists, according to police.

Rader jumped the counter and stole several bottles of prescription medications before leaving the store on foot and meeting Engstrom, Crosby said. Pharmacists were able to provide police with photos, and the leads soon started coming in. Crosby said someone recognized Rader in the photos and notified police, who contacted police in La Verkin, where Rader was known to have ties with family and friends. Both Rader and Engstrom are from Nevada, he said.

Hurricane police were sent to the town on June 30 to look for Rader, but he was not located until July 1, when a citizen saw him in town. He was then arrested at a home in possession of hundreds of pills in packaging consistent with pharmacy storage containers, according to a police report. Crosby said police believe Rader stole at least 500 pills, but police are still going through the massive amount.

"I don't know if we're finished counting them yet," he said.

Police believe selling the pills was Rader's intention, though he may not have had time to get rid of any.

Police were interested in Engstrom almost from the start, when the getaway truck was tied to him. However, Crosby said police had little solid information to go on until Rader was interviewed and told of Engstrom's involvement. According to a police report, Engstrom admitted his involvement after police interviewed him about inconsistencies in his story and he was arrested Sunday at a Provo motel.

Engstrom allegedly told police he and Rader robbed the pharmacy in order to pay for an apartment and that Rader begged him for help. He also said the gun was not real, but an air pistol that Rader grabbed from the truck. Crosby said some locations where the pair have stayed in the past were searched, but the gun has not been located. Whether or not the gun was fake is irrelevant when considering how to charge the men, he said.

"It's still a robbery, still a threat of force of life," he said.

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