Derek Augustine, who last June robbed a local Walgreens pharmacy at knifepoint, will be spending the next couple of years behind bars.
Augustine, 33, was sentenced Feb. 22 in Waukesha County Circuit Court to three years in jail and four years of extended supervision, court records show. Both his parents said in letters to the court that they hope the jail time will bring about a positive change in their son's life.
Last December Augustine pleaded guilty to robbery with the threat of force about six months after holding up a Walgreens pharmacy clerk with a knife and stealing multiple bottles of OxyContin from the store, according to online court records. He entered the guilty plea as part of a plea agreement that included the dismissal of a related felony drug possession charge.
Circuit Judge Michael Aprahamian handed down the sentence Feb. 22 and gave Augustine, an admitted opioid addict, 260 days credit for jail time Augustine already served.
Court records indicate that Aprahamian also ordered Augustine to pay $3,277.80 in restitution to Walgreens, to undergo a mental health and psychological evaluation and to attend a 'criminal thinking' class as some of the conditions of his extended supervision.
Augustine began serving his jail term after the sentencing hearing concluded, records show.
Both of his parents filed letters to the court, prior to the hearing, that discussed Augustine's descent into addiction and criminal behavior and expressed hope that their son could get the help he needs to overcome his struggles.
Randall Augustine, Derek's father, wrote in one of the letters that '(f)rom 2006 to (the) present time, Derek has been in and out of hospitals with drug-related issues.'
'Derek stopped paying his debts, lost residences and eventually his employment. ... He was easily used by, and stolen from, by relationship partners who used his use of drugs to control him,' Randall Augustine said.
'I hope that along with his punishment, he can get the physical and mental guidance to become again the person (he) once was.'
Derek's mother, Judy Kettleson, included many similar statements in her letter.
'I know he (Derek) reached the point where we wants and will get help,' she wrote. 'My wish for him is that he gets the help he needs so he can get back on the right path and live a successful, happy and productive drug-free life.'
She added, 'I do not want to have to bury my son.'