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A man accused of brandishing a handgun while robbing two pharmacies of the powerful painkiller OxyContin will spend at least six years in state prison.

Joshua A. Phillips, 27, whose last known address was York County Prison, was sentenced Monday in Adams County court to six years and three months to 15 years in state prison for each of the two counts of robbery to which he pleaded guilty April 21. Phillips will serve the sentences concurrently and received credit for time spent incarcerated since last year.

The charges against Phillips stemmed from robberies of pharmacies in East Berlin and McSherrystown in which the drug OxyContin was taken in 2007.

Phillips' attorney, Kristin Rice, said Phillips developed an addiction to OxyContin after the medication was prescribed to him for injuries he suffered in a vehicle accident. Phillips' accident and subsequent addiction should be considered with the sentence, Rice argued, but District Attorney Shawn Wagner said he did take into account those factors when developing the plea agreement.

President Judge John D. Kuhn issued the sentence but said there was no indication Phillips is the type of person who would engage in such conduct as he has except for having an addiction.

"All indications in the pre-sentence investigation indicate that you were a very fine young fellow ... and this addiction issue overtook you," Kuhn said.

Pennsylvania State Police said Phillips showed a black semi-automatic handgun at East Berlin Pharmacy, 335 W. King St., East Berlin, on April 17, 2007, and told the pharmacist there to put OxyContin in a backpack Phillips brought with him. The pharmacist gave Phillips the OxyContin, and Phillips then fled on foot, police said.
Phillips later told police he bought a black BB gun the day of the East Berlin robbery and showed the gun during the robbery there, according to court documents.

As part of his sentence, Phillips must pay a $300 fine and restitution of $500 to East Berlin Pharmacy, $5,776.59 to Pharmacist's Mutual Insurance and $105 to state police.

In addition to his prison sentence for the May 17, 2007, robbery of Choice Pharmacy on Main Street in McSherrystown, Phillips must pay a $300 fine and restitution of $500 to Choice Pharmacy and $8,456.73 to Pharmacist's Mutual Insurance.

Phillips also pleaded guilty April 21 to one count of theft by unlawful taking for taking OxyContin from the bedroom of an acquaintance. Kuhn sentenced Phillips in that matter to one month to two years in state prison and ordered him to pay $112 restitution. Phillips will serve that sentence concurrently with the other sentences Kuhn issued Monday.

Phillips was jailed in York County prison on related charges when he was charged with the East Berlin robbery. He was charged in August with robbing Gruber's Pharmacy in Dillsburg and fleeing with stolen OxyContin. Phillips also has cases pending in Cumberland County and Maryland, Rice said.