Pharmacist Resolves Hostage, Robbery Situation

A pharmacist is being praised for coming to the rescue in a hostage and robbery situation.

A man named Christopher Trail entered Redmont Pharmacy in Red Bay, Alabama, with a shotgun around 8:30 a.m. on June 8, 2015. The customer was known to the staff, according to AL.com, but Trail had not been in the pharmacy recently.

The pharmacy’s owner, J.C. Weeks, told AL.com that Trail took 4 employees and 1 customer hostage and asked for drugs. The hostages were kept in the back room of the store until pharmacist Donna Weatherford was able to convince Trail to let the other hostages go, while she remained behind to gather the requested drugs.

About an hour later, Trail allegedly told Weatherford he was getting tired. He created a makeshift recliner out of chairs in the store and fell asleep, AL.com reported. Weatherford seized the moment to pick up the burglar’s gun and run outside, where police were waiting to arrest Trail.

“There's no higher praise for Donna. She kept a cool head and kept him calm as it escalated,” Weeks told AL.com.

One June 10, 2015, Trail was charged with kidnapping, theft, and robbery of the pharmacy. He was also charged with burglary, theft, and criminal mischief for another burglary that occurred before the pharmacy incident, according to AL.com.