Rite Aid, CVS Pharmacies Succumb to Armed Robbers

Police in Skowhegan, Maine, have taken a man into custody in conjunction with an October 29, 2014, armed robbery at a Rite Aid pharmacy.

According to police, a white male allegedly entered the store shortly after 3 p.m. and presented a note demanding prescription painkillers. He allegedly threatened to use force if his demand was not met, and he left the store after being given some drugs.

The man’s name was not immediately released because he has not yet been charged, The Bangor Daily News reports. The suspect was identified from surveillance camera footage.

Later that night, 2 masked men allegedly robbed a different Rite Aid pharmacy in Brooklyn Park, Maryland.

The men allegedly entered the pharmacy at approximately 9:50 p.m., and 1 of them who was armed with a semi-automatic handgun allegedly demanded money, the Capital Gazette reports. The duo allegedly filled a plastic bag with cigarettes and money before leaving the store and entering a black Chevy or GMC sport utility vehicle.

No one was injured during the incident. Police in Anne Arundel are still searching for the 2 suspects.

One day earlier, 2 different suspects committed a robbery at yet another Rite Aid pharmacy in Ashland, Tennessee, for which they have been arrested and charged by police.

Mark Harris, 39, was charged with aggravated robbery and possession of drug paraphernalia, while his accomplice, Cody Morris, 27, was charged with aggravated robbery, possession of drug paraphernalia, and failure to appear, The Tennessean reports.

Descriptions of the suspects and getaway vehicle were dispatched to all police units in Cheatham County and the Metro Nashville Police Department after evidence was collected at the scene. An agent in the Cheatham County narcotics division located the vehicle soon after receiving the description, and the suspects were apprehended.

The case is still under investigation, with additional arrests pending.

In addition to the recent Rite Aid armed robberies, police are investigating crimes committed at CVS pharmacies in the past week.

For instance, Enfield, Connecticut, police are pursuing a suspect who robbed a CVS at knifepoint on October 29, 2014.

According to the Hartford Courant, a man allegedly entered the CVS, showed the cashier a knife, and left after receiving an unspecified amount of cash. A vehicle was waiting for him outside the store, police noted.

Additionally, a suspect allegedly jumped over a front counter in order to steal money from a CVS in Cayce, South Carolina, on October 28, 2014.

According to WISTV 10, the suspect allegedly made a small purchase, jumped over the counter, and stole money from the cash register. He fled after grabbing the money.

Police in Paulding County, Georgia, are investigating a robbery committed at a CVS on October 24, 2014.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a suspect entered the pharmacy at approximately 7 a.m., threatened CVS employees with a black semi-automatic pistol, and ordered a manager to remove all of the money in the store’s safe. The amount of money stolen was not disclosed.

During an armed robbery committed at another Georgia CVS pharmacy on the same day, a man allegedly showed a handgun and demanded pharmaceuticals, The Calhoun Times reports.

The man allegedly exited the pharmacy after a bottle of medication, and left in a silver Hyundai occupied by a second person who remained in the vehicle during the robbery. The suspect was described as a white man with gray hair and a gray beard, and he may have been wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses.