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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Two men sought in Spokane pharmacy robbery

Two Deer Park men have been identified as suspects in a pharmacy robbery police linked to a 20-year-old woman. Jed L. Boles, 31, and William E. Higgins, 21, face charges of first-degree robbery for allegedly helping Ariel A. Arrieta rob the Rite Aid at 5520 N. Division St. on Sept. 27, according to the Spokane Police Department. A tip from a woman who said she’s twice helped Arrieta with her OxyContin addiction helped police identify Arrieta, who was arrested Oct. 13, as a suspect, according to a probable cause affidavit. “(She) not only noticed Ariel looked like the armed robber, but the robbery suspect in the video walked just like Ariel,” according to the affidavit. Arrieta’s boyfriend told police a friend had given her a handgun and two others drove with them to Spokane. The boyfriend waited in a parking lot for Arrieta and the two to return from the robbery, he told police. “Ariel and the two unnamed co-conspirators argued over who should get what quantity of the OxyContin,” according to the affidavit. “The three subjects eventually each took an amount of OxyContin.” Police say those co-conspirators were Higgins and Boles. The men are from Deer Park but could be anywhere, according to a news release. Arrieta also is a suspect in the attempted robbery Oct. 12 at the Rite Aid at Wandermere. In that incident, a woman matching Arrieta’s description handed an employee a note demanding OxyContin but was turned away when another employee hit her with a metal bar, causing her to run away. Police searched Arrieta for bruises last week. Anyone with information on Higgins or Boles is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.