Metro Detroit man being extradited from California to Detroit after reported crime spree

Mark White was extradited Thursday to Michigan from California after allegedly going on a crime spree spanning several days.

White is accused of robbing pharmacies and a coffee shop at gunpoint to get drugs.

White, a former church director, started with a back injury that reportedly turned into a painkiller addiction. That addiction is what caused the alleged crime spree.

Police said White pointed a BB gun at a worker at a Madison Heights Walgreens Pharmacy, demanding pills. He was given hundreds of opiate pills just before he robbed a Bigby Coffee in Allen Park.

He also allegedly punched an employee at a Warren Target while shoplifting and punched his mother to steal her prescription medicine just before flying to California.

"Drugs are bad and opiates are the worst," said Local 4 legal expert, Neil Rockind. "They cause a fiendish desire to get hold of them to satisfy your craving. Some people will do anything.

White's freedom was short-lived. His addiction led to more robberies in California, where he was arrested and locked up. In addition to serving time in California, he will also be sentenced in Detroit's federal court for his crimes.

White is expected to be sentenced in Detroit on  Jan. 11.