The Shelby Police Department held a press conference on Feb. 26 to ask for the community’s assistance in identifying the suspect of an armed robbery.
According to Shelby Police, at approximately 11:20 a.m. on Feb. 21 a white male with a black handgun robbed the Drug Mart Pharmacy located at 219 Mansfield Avenue. The suspect is approximately 20-30 years old, with dark hair and dark or reddish facial hair consisting of a goatee and a thin beard. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and carrying a Hello Kitty shopping bag.
A Drug Mart security video obtained by Sgt. David Mack shows the suspect jump the pharmacy counter and point a black handgun at the pharmacy technician. Capt. Lance Combs said the suspect specifically asked for Percocet and narcotics.
“It was unusual in the fact that there was no money taken or demanded,” said Combs.
An official police report lists 41 entries for medications including morphine, oxycodone, oxycontin and methylphenidate taken in various quantities. Detective Aaron Bushey of the METRICH Enforcement United has estimated the street value of the prescription medications stolen to be $89,307. This is not the actual cost of the pharmaceuticals to the store.
“Our concern is someone is taking those not only for personal use but those quantities could be redistributed,” said Combs.
After obtaining the medications the suspect jumped the counter and fled the store in an older white Dodge Durango. An off duty Shelby officer exercising at Snap Fitness in the Drug Mart plaza observed the vehicle backed into a handicapped spot at an angle, but could not tell if the driver of the vehicle was a man or woman.
Approximately 20 minutes prior to the robbery at the Shelby Drug Mart, the Plymouth Police Department had received a report of a suspicious male inside the Community Market/Pharmacy in Plymouth. The suspect was of the same description and also carrying a Hello Kitty shopping bag, but no robbery was attempted.
“The suspect went directly back to the pharmacy and looked like he was going to touch the door but he never actually did,” said Plymouth Police Chief Charles Doan. “It appears he saw the worker, and that’s when he turned around and pulled the bandana down from his face and didn’t realize there was a camera right there.”
The two locations are approximately 10 minutes of driving time apart. Security footage from the Community Market/Pharmacy showed a clear view of the suspect’s face.
“If you know this person, you will be able to identify them from this video,” said Mack.
Combs stated photographs and video have been distributed to every law enforcement agency in Richland County and adjoining counties, but to date police have not received any leads on the identities of the two suspects – the white male in the black sweatshirt and the driver of the vehicle.
“I can’t speculate as to whether they’re from this area or not from this area, but we don’t have any leads, which is quite unusual,” said Combs. “The weather was exceptionally bad (on Feb. 21), which could lead us to assume it’s someone local because if the weather is that bad and you have to drive to a metropolitan area, the chances of you making it there safely or not being caught are greatly hindered.”
Combs explained photographs and videos are first distributed to law enforcement agencies in order to prohibit the suspect from knowing they are being pursued. Mack added local agencies have been extremely successful in using social media to solve crimes.
Any information that may lead to the identities of the two perpetrators of this crime should be directed to Sgt. Mack at the Shelby Police Department, 419-347-2242.
