SALISBURY — A Salisbury man and his stepson were charged Friday nearly two months after local investigators say they robbed area pharmacies and took thousands of dollars worth of pills.

The most recent robbery was earlier this week at Rite Aid in China Grove.

Ricky Ray Shackleford, 56, of the 300 block of Fox Run Road, was charged by the China Grove Police Department with one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon and one count of trafficking in opium.

Shackleford is charged in the Wednesday robbery of the Rite Aid at 508 U.S. 29 North, China Grove, near Lentz Road.

Halston Lee Clark, 23, also of the 300 block of Fox Run Road, was charged by the Salisbury Police Department with three counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon and three counts of trafficking in opiates.

Authorities say his arrest stems from robberies at Rite Aid at 640 W. Jake Alexander Blvd. on Oct. 23 and Nov. 24 as well as the CVS Pharmacy at 1924 Statesville Blvd. on Dec. 17.

Rick Shackleford & stepson Halston Clark are taken into the RoCo jail. Both are charged with drug tafficking & robbery with a dangerous weapon. pic.twitter.com/ZCtXVrxpDY

— Shavonne Potts (@SalPostPotts) January 26, 2018

According to China Grove Police Chief Andrew Deal, Shackleford and Clark are also involved in a similar robbery in Kannapolis.

The arrests came after a collaboration among the Salisbury Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit, the China Grove Police Department and the SBI.

Clark and Shackleford were both placed in the Rowan County Detention Center. Clark was issued a $300,000 secured bond. Shackleford was issued a $150,000 secured bond.

Both men are expected in court for first appearances Tuesday.

Before seeing a Rowan County magistrate, the only comment Shackleford made was that he loves his family. He was wearing a Rowan County-issued orange jumpsuit because he had turned himself in Friday morning on a probation violation.

According to arrest warrants, Shackleford passed a note to a pharmacist and told her he had a gun. Warrants say he stole 100 5-milligram oxycodone pills, 100 10-milligram oxycodone pills, 35 2-milligram hydromorphone pills, and 80 4-milligram hydromorphone pills.

Arrest warrants say Clark threatened a pharmacist with a gun and took 529 hydrocodone pills valued at $4,813.71 in one robbery. In another robbery, Clark took 159 oxycodone pills, 14 oxymorphone pills and 98 alprazolam pills valued at $2,942.29, warrants said. In that robbery, authorities say, he pointed a gun at a pharmacist and demanded pills.

In the CVS robbery, arrest warrants say Clark took more than $6,629 worth of pills. They include 829 25-milligram alprazolam pills, 1,382 50-milligram alprazolam pills, 66 1-milligram alprazolam pills, 131 2-milligram hydromorphone pills, 180 4-milligram hydromorphone pills, 140 8-milligram hydromorphone pills, 15 10-milligram oxycodone pills, 450 20-milligram oxycodone pills, and 285 5-milligram oxycodone pills, the warrants said.

An arrest warrant says Clark took 100 5-milligram oxycodone pills, 100 10-milligram oxycodone pills, 35 2-milligram hydromorphone pills, and 80 4-milligram hydromorphone pills from the Rite Aid Pharmacy.

Clark gave the pharmacists a note and told them he had a gun and showed them a semi-automatic weapon, the warrant says.

Police say the investigation is continuing. Police officials said they are thankful to the public for its help in the investigation.

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.