MANSFIELD, Mass. (AP) - A judge on Monday increased bail for a rock band bassist accused of stealing prescription painkillers from a pharmacy just hours before a show.
Attleboro police said Coheed and Cambria bassist Michael Todd showed a Walgreens pharmacist a note on his smartphone Sunday afternoon, saying he had a bomb and demanding prescription drugs.
The 30-year-old Todd of Anaheim, Calif., fled with six bottles of Oxycontin, taking a cab that dropped him at the tour bus at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, where his band was to open for Soundgarden that night, police said. He was arrested before the show, and the band played without him.
At a bail hearing Monday, Attleboro District Court Judge Daniel O'Shea increased bail from $10,000 cash to $25,000 cash or $250,000 surety, citing Todd's out-of-state address and criminal record, including a previous drug conviction and arrest for reckless driving. Prosecutors requested $100,000 cash bail, and Todd's attorney sought to keep it at $10,000.
Authorities say Todd, who was born in Woodstock, N.Y., was tracked down after investigators used a witness description to identify the cab he used. A detective obtained surveillance video at the pharmacy and sent the photos to an officer, who found Todd at the concert, according to court records.
Todd initially denied involvement in the robbery but changed his story when police confronted him with the surveillance photos, according to the records.
The Sun Chronicle reports that Todd's attorney, Sandra Ferreira, noted that no weapon was shown during the robbery and none was found after he was arrested. She said she believes prosecutors would not be able to prove the charge of armed robbery or that it would be reduced during trial.
Todd is due back on court Aug. 9. His attorney didn't immediately return a call from The Associated Press for comment late Monday.
Band mates said on their website that they consider the allegations against Todd "very serious charges" and said he would not be continuing on the rest of their tour. The band is replacing Todd with longtime member Wes Styles.
No shows will be canceled, the band said, adding that they plan to discuss the charges with Todd after the tour.
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Information from: The Sun Chronicle, http://www.thesunchronicle.com