CHICKASHA, OK — The Chickasha Police are asking for help in identifying a suspect involved in the robbery of the Grand Care Pharmacy on W. Iowa Street in Chickasha on Friday, Sept. 27th in the afternoon.
Shortly before 6:00 pm a suspect entered the pharmacy wearing a mask and ballcap. The suspect demanded a variety of pain medications after telling the employees that if they cooperated no one would be hurt.
You hear about it more and more, criminals breaking into pharmacies to get their hands on drugs. That’s exactly what happened at Grand Care Pharmacy in Chickasha Friday.
Business goes on Monday for Pharmacist Pam Lee, but not without the images of the masked robber on her mind.
“He just said, ‘Hands up no cell phones no panic buttons nobody’s going to get hurt as long as you do exactly what I say.’,” said Lee.
He wanted dilaudid, xanax and hydrocodone, high value drugs on the street.
The employees complied with the suspects demands and provided the prescription medications. The suspect then left the store with the medication.
The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 5’6” tall and about 170 pounds with a slender build wearing a long sleeve button down shirt that was blue in color along with black dress slacks. The mask the suspect was wearing was black in color and appeared to have been homemade.
In addition the suspect was wearing a Chickasha “C” ballcap and had a black backpack over his shoulders. As the suspect left the store and pulled off his mask and an employee was able to see that he had thick red hair from behind.
“It’s pretty terrifying,” said Lee. It’s not the first time.
Twice before, burglars hit in the middle of the night.
“They need help,” said Scott Want.
The unnerving part for customers like Want: this time, police say cameras caught the burglar casing the pharmacy in the morning and later robbing it in broad daylight.
Surveillance video was obtained and it is believed the suspect had been in the pharmacy earlier in the day wearing different clothing and asking questions.
The last two photos are of the robbery suspect at the time it occurred. The first three photos are from earlier in the day.
“In the middle of the day, people could have been in the middle of harm and everything,” said Want.
However, after 20 years as a pharmacist, Lee says pill prowlers are becoming part of the job.
“I think situations are getting more desperate, and the abuse problems are getting worse,” said Lee. “It’s definitely a different world than when I trained.”
These days, she has cameras. but doesn’t want to have to take protection to the next level.
“I really don’t want to go to packing a gun,” said Lee.
She’ll keep working for the sick, but she wants this robber to get help.
Anyone with information on this crime or is able to identify the suspect in the photos are asked to call the Chickasha Police Department at 405-222-6050 or Crimestoppers at 405-222-TIPS (8477) or Text tips to CRIMES (274-637) and use they keyword, Chicktip.