A theft in October at an Albertsons pharmacy that netted two men about 4,000 pills was an inside job, investigators say.

A store employee was among two suspects arrested and booked into the Summit County jail in December, said Detective Ron Bridge, a spokesman for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

Leon Priet Jr., 27, was a pharmacy technician at the store at 3151 Kilby Road when he was arrested at his Salt Lake home Dec. 4. Priet is charged in 3rd District Court with two second-degree felonies for communications fraud and theft, and burglary, which is a third-degree felony.

The co-defendant in the case, Christopher T. Clough, 25, was at his Salt Lake home when officers arrested him Dec. 5, Bridge said.

“We were given Clough’s name by Priet and we went down and did a stakeout on his house until he showed up,” Bridge said. “Clough cooperated 100 percent with the investigation.”

Clough was conspiring with Priet when he entered the store Oct. 29 and received Oxycontin, Lortab and Ritalin pills from Priet at about 6:20 p.m., he said.

Priet dialed 911 about 20 minutes later and said Clough had brandished a handgun and handed him a note demanding the pills after asking for help with an over-the-counter medication, according to Bridge.

“He said, the robber explained that he had people in the store watching Priet and Priet could not call 911 until 20 minutes after. This, of course, being not true,” Bridge explained. “It was $15,000 in value, which made it a second-degree felony.”

Priet refused to take a polygraph test, Bridge said.

“When we went down to converse with [Priet] at his residence, he invited us in. As he invited us in, in plain sight was some of the pill bottles that were taken in the theft,” Bridge said. “From the beginning of the investigation, there just were not a lot of things that added up. It was suspicious in nature every time we talked to Priet. His story either changed or he withheld information.”

Investigators have determined the ploy did not involve a gun.

A roll call hearing in 3rd District Court in Summit County is scheduled for each defendant Jan. 4.