AUGUSTA — A man who robbed a Rite Aid pharmacy in Augusta in October 2012 by threatening to blow it up and then barricaded himself in the store’s bathroom to shoot up the drugs was sentenced this week in Kennebec County Superior Court.

Dylan S. Karczewski, 21, of Augusta was sentenced to five years in prison, with all but an initial two years suspended, followed by three years of probation. He was also fined $425.

He had pleaded guilty last April to robbery and stealing drugs and was released on bail with the condition that he follow all the rules of a residential drug treatment program in Limestone. A charge of terrorizing was dismissed in exchange for the pleas.

Records in Kennebec County Superior Court show Karczewski was later accused of violating that bail by testing positive for morphine on June 24 and heroin on Sept. 13, and left the program.

Karczewski admitted robbing the Rite Aid at 2007 North Belfast Ave. on Oct. 23, 2012, and threatening to hurt a pharmacist while demanding oxycodone and syringes.

After he barricaded himself in the bathroom, he told police that he had chemicals and would “burn this place down,” according to an affidavit filed in Kennebec County Superior Court by Augusta Police Officer Nathan Walker.

A standoff lasting more than 30 minutes ensued as police viewed store surveillance video to confirm that Karczewski had neither weapons nor an explosive chemical.

Police said Karzewski apparently used the needles to inject himself with oxycodone while inside the bathroom.

He was taken to the hospital after police broke into the bathroom and arrested Karczewski without incident.

In a separate hearing this week in Kennebec County Superior Court, Gabriel Rosario Sanchez, 30, of Augusta, was sentenced to six days in jail, and given credit for six days served, and fined $400 after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a scheduled drug which occurred Oct. 9 in Augusta.

Betty Adams — 621-5631 badams@centralmaine.com Twitter: @betadams

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