BY KEITH EPPS
A man who dressed up like a clown to rob the CVS in Fredericksburg last year was ordered yesterday to serve eight years in prison.
Ricky Kaiser, 23, of Bumpass, went into the pharmacy near Mary Washington Hospital on May 20, 2007, dressed in a top hat, fake hair and clown makeup, prosecutor Darren Marting said.
After handing the clerk a threatening note, he left
Kaiser initially took his case to a jury, but he didn't show up for the second day of the trial.
He was arrested later that day at Potomac Hospital, where he'd gone to receive treatment for injuries received in a reported vehicle accident.
By the next week, Kaiser changed his mind about a jury trial and pleaded guilty to five charges in Fredericksburg Circuit Court--robbery, burglary, grand larceny and two counts of possessing prescription drugs with the intent to distribute.
Kaiser and other witnesses called by defense attorney Tara-Beth Coleman yesterday blamed much of Kaiser's trouble on a doctor.
Coleman had seven people in court, including Kaiser, who claimed they'd become addicted to painkillers because the doctor routinely wrote unneeded prescriptions in exchange for under-the-table payoffs.
Coleman said the doctor is being investigated by the FBI; he apparently has not yet been charged with any criminal offenses.
Kaiser said he began seeing the doctor when he was 17 and got increasingly stronger medications.
He said the doctor cut him off about two weeks before the CVS robbery because he was coming too often and arousing suspicions.
Kaiser told Judge Joseph E. Spruill Jr. that once he made it through the withdrawal phase while in jail, his mind cleared up.
"It's hard for me to believe I actually did this," Kaiser said. "I had a very bad drug problem for a very long time. I'm really ashamed of what I did."
Spruill said he was "impressed" with Kaiser but said he still had to be punished for his actions. Spruill's sentence was at the low
Kaiser's previous criminal record consists of mostly driving offenses, including five driving suspended convictions.
Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com