Massachusetts man sentenced to prison for robbing CVS pharmacist while wearing hockey mask

A 53-year-old Massachusetts man was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in Norfolk Superior Court last week to robbing a CVS store two years ago, Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey said Monday.

John Gretchen was sentenced by Judge Michael Doolin to four to six years in prison last Wednesday after admitting he forced the pharmacist to hand over 14 bottles of prescription narcotics and cash from the register.

Police responded to the store on the Southern Artery in Quincy after receiving a 911 call about a robbery in progress at approximately 3:45 a.m. on January 11, 2023.

“A police officer who was on patrol in the area at the time immediately responded to the call. He spotted the suspect, who fit the description of the robber, across the street from the store,” Morrissey said.

The suspect, later identified as Gretchen, was wearing a street hockey mask with a medical mask over it and was taken into custody after a brief struggle.

In the area where Gretchen was located, police recovered a black folding knife and a laundry bag used in the robbery that contained 14 pill bottles containing prescription narcotics, and the cash.

Gretchen pleaded guilty to unarmed robbery.

Morrissey praised the Quincy police for quickly apprehending the suspect.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Emily Farley.