AUGUSTA — For the second day in a row, the Kennebec County Superior Court heard a guilty plea from a person who robbed the Manchester Rite Aid pharmacy.
Thomas G. Bourque, 32, of Belgrade, pleaded guilty Wednesday to the charge of robbing the pharmacy on Aug. 3.
On Tuesday, also in a Kennebec County Superior Court case heard in the Capital Judicial Center, Devon M. Gray, 26, of Monmouth, pleaded guilty to robbery at the same pharmacy.
Bourque was ordered to serve an initial 30 months of incarceration with the remainder of his 10-year sentence suspended and three years’ probation.
Conditions of probation prohibit him from alcohol and illegal drugs, from being at the Rite Aid and from having contact with the pharmacist who was robbed.
Bourque also was ordered to enter and complete a substance abuse counseling program.
Bourque told Justice Robert Mullen he could not explain why he did it.
“I do regret my actions, but I can’t blame it on anything except stupidity,” Bourque said. “I was in a terrible accident and other things happened.”
When the judge said he was reluctant to impose probation as part of the sentence, Bourque said he has successfully completed probation in the past and intends to do the same this time.
“This isn’t my life and hasn’t been for a long time,” Bourque said. “I haven’t been in trouble for four or five years.”
He added, “I have a great support system to come home to.”
“If you violate probation, chances are you’d be doing this 10 years in two installments,” Mullen said.
“I’m a different person now,” Bourque said.
Bourque has previously served sentences of up to 18 months in prison, according to the prosecutor.
Assistant District Attorney Francis Griffin said Bourque went into the pharmacy Aug. 3, 2014, and demanded oxycodone, a prescription painkiller, and methylphenidate, a drug used to treat attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. He kept his hand in his pocket and the pharmacist believed he had a gun.
He also told the pharmacist to hurry up and to leave out any tracking device.
A video of the robbery showed the robber with a scruffy beard and wearing a hooded jacket, sunglasses and shorts. Griffin said Bourque’s sister reported recognizing him, and authorities searched his parents’ property, finding the shorts worn during the robbery.
Gray, who pleaded guilty Tuesday, was ordered to serve an initial 20 months behind bars and the remainder of his eight-year sentence was suspended. He also was ordered to serve three years of probation.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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