NORTH MUSKEGON, Mich. -- A North Muskegon pharmacy that was robbed Jan. 19 is now offering a big reward to help catch the man responsible.
Hometown Pharmacy has put up a $5,000 reward to catch the robber who held a pharmacist at gunpoint that day.
“That is extremely scary and there have been some very violent situations and shootings in pharmacies,” Hometown pharmacist Ken Fagerman said.
It’s a nationwide problem plaguing the safest of communities as some prescription pills become harder to get legally.
“As Americans, we probably use too many narcotics and the FDA reclassified Norco in attempt to make it a little harder to get so we’ve been kind of fearful of something like this happening,” Fagerman said.
It first happened Oct. 1 when a man dressed in camouflage broke into Hometown Pharmacy.
There was a much scarier attempt Jan. 19 when police say a man dressed in camouflage, possibly the same suspect, who was wearing a ski mask stormed into the store, ordering a pharmacy tech on the ground and grabbing a pharmacist, then holding them at gunpoint.
“We really are fearful of this and that this can become an active shooter situation and has happened in other locations,” Fagerman said.
A representative of the pharmacy says this man knew what he wanted, demanding a specific bottle of narcotics, when they say he had the opportunity to take much more.
“These people are in an altered state of mind,” Fagerman said. “Things can suddenly go very badly wrong."
This is also possibly connected to an attempted robbery at a nearby Rite Aid the night before, when a window near the pharmacy was smashed.
“This armed robbery represents an escalation in the potential violence,” Fagerman said.
The suspect is believed to be a white male in his 20s who stands 5 feet, 11 inches tall.
There is a $5,000 reward for any information leading to his arrest through Silent Observer by calling (231) 72-CRIME.
