Revere man indicted for pharmacy robbery

SALEM – A Revere ironworker who passed a note to a pharmacist saying he would “blow the place up” if she didn’t give him Percocet has been indicted by an Essex County grand jury.Eric Spracklin, 37, of 96 Geneva St., Revere, stands charged with stealing by confining or putting in fear in connection with a robbery of a Walgreen’s Pharmacy in Saugus.It was about 11:30 p.m., on Dec. 20, when a man, later identified as Spracklin, walked into the Walgreen’s at 1228 Broadway off Route 1 in Saugus and handed the note to the pharmacist. However, the would-be-robber changed his mind and fled the scene empty handed.Police immediately responding to the scene spotted a man matching the description of the robber at the Hess gas station nearby and he was taken into custody.The pharmacist reportedly identified Spracklin as the holdup man.The indictment handed up now moves the case from Lynn District Court, where Spracklin pleaded innocent, to Salem Superior Court.In the meantime, Spracklin remains held in custody at the Middleton Jail on $50,000 cash bail.A conviction on the charge carries a potential life sentence in state prison.Assistant District Attorney Michael P. Hickey is assigned to prosecute the case for the commonwealth.Also indicted were Thomas Motherwell, 26, homeless, of Malden, charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, malicious destruction of property over $250 and resisting arrest concerning a break-in at 240 Fays Ave., in Lynn on Dec. 26. Entrance reportedly was gained through a back basement window. Police responding to an alarm apparently found Motherwell hiding in the attic and arrested him following a struggle.Assistant District Attorney Melissa A. Woodard is prosecuting the case for the commonwealth.Indictments are a legal formality that allows a case to be transferred from District Court to Superior Court, allowing for a more severe punishment.