Pittsfield man pleads guilty in theft of drugs

PITTSFIELD – The second of two men arrested for burglarizing Pittsfield Pharmacy in April and taking narcotics, including OxyContin, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Somerset County Superior Court.

Jason Knowlton, 24, of Pittsfield admitted to one count each of burglary, theft, unlawful trafficking in drugs and conspiracy to traffic in scheduled drugs. He was sentenced to five years in jail with all but 10 months suspended, four years probation and restitution of $1,844.19.

His cousin, Eric Driscoll, 22, formerly of Newport and now of Merrimac, N.H., also pleaded guilty in December to the same burglary and drug charges. His sentencing has been continued.

The drugs taken by the pair had a value of about $2,000, but Ryan Dyer, owner of Pittsfield Pharmacy, said shortly after the burglary that the drugs could command $10,000 on the street.

Pittsfield Officer Marty Cochran arrested Knowlton and Driscoll moments after the burglary. Cochran also recovered the drugs from the men, including OxyContin, hydrocodone-acetaminophen and Endocet. The drugs are all narcotic painkillers.

Cochran first was alerted to the men’s presence when a resident of an apartment building a block down the street from the pharmacy called police to report two men in the building’s parking lot. Cochran went to the parking area but found no one.

Moments later, however, a motion alarm sounded at the pharmacy. The two men were found hiding under cars in the apartment building parking lot.

Pittsfield Pharmacy has been burglarized four times in two years, and Driscoll and Knowlton were videotaped by security cameras while inside the building.

Knowlton has other drug charges pending after an arrest two weeks ago in Pittsfield.

Knowlton and his wife, Rene Knowlton, 27, are accused of luring people from a neighboring apartment with an invitation to play darts and then burglarizing a number of narcotic medications from that apartment.

The incident happened at Pittsfield Garden Apartments.

According to Pittsfield Officer Rodney Minoty, Knowlton had given the apartment owner and her child a ride to a holiday school concert, leaving several friends behind. Knowlton’s wife, Rene, allegedly then invited the friends to the Knowlton apartment to play darts. Knowing that his friend’s home was unoccupied, Knowlton then entered the apartment and took more than 50 Vicodin, a prescribed narcotic, said Minoty.

Knowlton was discovered sitting on a bed in the home by a friend of the apartment owner.

The pills have a street value of about $10 a pill, said the officer.