Updated at 1:50 p.m. Monday

AUGUSTA — Police on Monday released a video surveillance photo as they continued to search for a man who robbed an Augusta Rite Aid pharmacy Friday night.

Nobody was injured in the hold up at Rite Aid on North Belfast Avenue, said Augusta Police Sgt. Christopher Shaw.

It was the second time in three months the store has been targeted.

Shaw said the suspect, described as a white male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, robbed the Rite Aid at 2007 North Belfast Ave. shortly before 4:30 p.m. Friday and fled into a wooded area behind the store.

The photo released by police appears to show that the robber was also wearing dark blue pants and light-colored shoes.

Advertisement

Shaw declined to say what, if anything, the robber took from the store or whether a weapon was indicated or displayed during the hold-up.

Officers arrived within two minutes of the first report and surrounded the area, Shaw said. A police tracking dog was unable to find the robber, whom police said left in an unidentified vehicle.

The robber was thin, stood about 5 feet 7 inches tall, and had brown hair and blue eyes, Shaw said.

The Rite Aid was the second central Maine pharmacy robbed in a span of less than 24 hours. Police continue to search for a man who walked into the Pittsfield Rite Aid around 7:30 p.m. Thursday and fled with a bag of prescription pills. He was last seen headed north on Interstate 95.

The robber, described as about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 240 pounds, did not show a weapon or make any threats to the store employees, said Pittsfield Police Officer Michael Cote. The robber wore a baseball cap and a dark hooded sweatshirt with the word Maine on its front. He left the store with a quantity of prescription drugs, police said.

It was the second time since October the Pittsfield Rite Aid has been robbed.

Advertisement

The North Belfast Avenue Rite Aid has been robbed twice this year. The first incident occurred Feb. 20 when two young men demanded prescription medication and said they had a weapon.

The robbery occurred one week after a robbery at the CVS on Stone Street, less than a mile away.

Two men have been charged in connection with the February robberies. Carmine Fazzi, 18, of Augusta, was arrested in March in New York on unrelated charges. Fazzi was subsequently charged with two counts of robbery in connection with the Augusta hold ups.

Daniel Rines, 18, of Pittston, has been charged with one count of robbery.

Shaw asked anyone with information on Friday’s robbery to call Augusta police at 626-2370.

Craig Crosby — 621-5642
ccrosby@centralmaine.com


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.