So, this is a bit odd. Onetime drummer for Poison Idea (and Final Warning, among other local punk acts), Steve “Thee Slayer Hippie” Hanford was arrested for allegedly being involved in a series of pharmacy robberies this summer. Police arrested Hanford, following a tip from Crime Stoppers, for allegedly robbing a series of Walgreens’ pharmacies at knife point. According to the Oregonian‘s report “a man with a knife demanded prescription drugs” during the robberies.
From CrimeStoppers on September 8 (the above photo came from CrimeStoppers, too):
The Portland Police Bureau, in cooperation with Crime Stoppers, is asking for your help in finding an armed robbery suspect. On Wednesday, August 20, 2008, at 3:24 a.m. a lone male armed with a knife, entered the Walgreen’s pharmacy, located at 940 SE 39th Avenue, demanding opiate drugs. After receiving several hundred Oxycontin pills, the suspect walked out the door onto SE Belmont Street. On Monday, September 8, 2008, at 9:32 p.m. the same suspect entered the Walgreen’s located at 3909 SE Holgate Boulevard, armed with a knife and a demand note. The suspect approached an employee and was told that their pharmacy had already closed. The suspect left the store. At approximately, 9:50 p.m., the suspect walked into the Walgreen’s at 940 SE 39th Avenue, approached the pharmacy counter, armed with a knife, and demanded prescription drugs. The suspect is described as a white male, late 30’s, 6’0″ tall, 200 pounds, with gray hair and brown eyes. The suspect walks “hunched” over and appears to be wearing a wig with a long ponytail.
Hansford will appear in court again next Wednesday.
steve hanfofd has slipped out of getting into trouble many times.momy will not be able to help him this time.
no need for bitterness. This is a messed up guy who had it too soft for too many years. Taking the so called easy way is often a road way filled with banana peels.
war all the time!
This is Stevens mother and YES I WILL be able to help him this time!
He has a bad back from years of drumming and needed the pills to help him make his music for the world to hear.
Im sorry you just HATE MUSIC!!!
This is Ian MacKaye and I just wanted to say “told you so!”
That’ s what you get when you try the drugs and don’t stick to smelling your own butthole! Haha Slayer Drippy!
One time me and Slayer Hippie were making sandwiches and he was like helping me make my lunch tastier and i was eating it and he f@*ked my mom when i was eating cereal for desert.
Myrtle Tickner wrote the last one. I’m at Ian’s house, we’re friends now. Stoopid internets.
I’ve known Steve since I was 11 and I’m really not suprised. He had been hanging out at our pad during this time and pulled a fast one on some friends of our who were just trying to help him out. We suspected he was up to something involving Walgreens pharmacy.Robbing the place w/ a knife is a little more than any of us thought. Truely a sad time and I hope this is wake up call to clean up. The last day I saw him(@ 3 weeks ago) we had an excellent evening hanging out, listening to Beck and he even jammed our house kit w/ me on bass. I hope he grows up… John Duffy- Wehrmacht
i’ve known steve for about 4 years now,and watched him decline mentally and physically,the drusg had taken a toll on him,,,,amazing what that shit will drove you to do,,,he is clean now,,,whether he wants it or not.
Fuck you all! Slayer Hippy rules! I’ve been tempted to rob the Walgreens pharms myself.
If Mr. Hippy was involved in said crime, he must of had a good reason.
Thee Slayer Hippy always has a good reason.
hey, anybody got some oxycontins?
To Steve’s mom;
Steve probably does not have a “bad back from years of drumming”. I know a LOT of drummers that don’t have to depend on pain pills “just to make music”. Steve is probably in a lot of pain (both physically and emotionally) because he has been doing hard drugs since high school. I went on a date with him once his senior year, and in the middle of it he started licking a spoon he had taken out of his pocket. Now that is a kid with some problems! If you really want to help him, you should start by not making excuses for him an actually trying to get him clean. Steve is an awesomely talented man, and he was always nice to me. I would be very sad to see him die a rock star’s death. I really hope that you, and anyone else who cares about him and reads this, will start giving him the care, support, and help that he needs!
pass the Oxymorons, clean and sober ex-punkers.
I am so sad hear about Steve. I am a friend from LA (probably his only one!) and I haven’t heard from him in a while so I decided to google him and this is what i found.
Yes as much as he is a saint and god and loved by his mother none of you have been able to save him. This is Steve’s mess that only Steve can clean up. Hopefully in jail he will have time to get well. Personally I think his health is in jeopardy being in jail and I hope it is not too late to reverse the damage.
I love Steve but he is a very sick stupid and stubborn man!!!
Yeah I knew Steve hey look at me I knew him yeah I am important hey look at me
My name is phill and i lived with him when said crime was commited. I love and care about him alot. Hopefully this mess will save his life. I miss you slayer.
i`m jamie. phill and i lived with steve last summer as he began to near the bottom of his downward spiral and suddenly felt the urge try out a slayerhippy rendition of drugstore cowboy in what i feel was an attempt to finally reach that elusive depth, bang maximus, even if it ended up being only six feet deep! phill n i had already been to two very special peoples funerals that summer and we were certain steve would be next. i’m so happy we were proven wrong! i think he wanted to die but didn’t get it. he got to live, and thats what he deserved! 7 years in prison is too harsh for what he did but way better than 21 years he was facing! phill n i got the chance to know the real slayerhippy. the one thats almost always obscured by the oblivionaut that usually steals his skin and trades admiration for animosity. a big, easy target for a $1000 snitch reward! ain’t that right, andrew?! i love and miss you slayer! maybe i’ll get clean like you n phill before i sleep thru another trip around the sun!
We used to do dope and sound together in the 90’s and this is Opiat use gone too long! Get clean my nice gay soundman.
I knew Steve back in his teens. He really was a sweet-hearted kid. He was already a great drummer at 15 and could jam with us older musicians with ease. I haven’t spoken with him in about 20 years, but I’d heard many rumors of his drug use and burning his friends. I’m sad to hear about his downward spiral, but I hope he’ll get some help if he wants to straighten his life out. Good luck, Slayer!
Wow. He was the worlds best drummer back in the early 90s. Still can not believe this!
Oh, and one thing’s for sure: you will never ever get back problems from drumming all day long 🙂
I love you steve it mYk (big indian) keep the faith. sorry how shit whent down last ime we saw eachother, Jess and i did share an apt. but we never hooked up. you should talk to james bout that. i can get skinpile out of my head. I miss slowface i miss you
bigindian@myspace.com
I have had some very hilarious, fairly sober times with Steve. Many card games. He was very kind, quick as a whip, and so incredibly sweet to me. I miss him and hope someday we can be winking at each other again. Hope the forced break can help him. I’ll never forget the blue leather jacket.