Man breaks into Dexter Pharmacy to steal pills, security cameras catch image of his face
A burglary at the Dexter Pharmacy might have cost the store some pills, but store officials may have the last laugh after security cameras picked up a clear image of the man’s face.
Artist's rendering of the Baker Road location of the Dexter Pharmacy
The store, located at 2820 Baker Road, was broken into early Monday morning and the burglar made off with various bottles of pills, according to the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s office. It’s the first break-in at the company’s Baker Road location, according to director of operations Marni Schmid.
“I’m very surprised,” Schmid said. “We’ve never had any concerns there. It’s a well-lit area, there are other businesses nearby and the bar (Katie's, which is next door) was still open when it happened. It was really risky for the person that did it when they did.”
The burglary resulted in Schmid having a mostly sleepless night, but she was buoyed by the fact that the store’s security cameras picked up a vital clue for investigators.
The intruder burst into the store with a blue bandana covering his face, but at one point the mask slid down, Schmid said. The cameras picked up the image of the man's face and deputies were thrilled to have a good shot of him, she said.
Not only was the man’s face mostly visible, but he also left behind a partial finger print.
“It was a young man, wearing a dark hoodie and blue bandana but it fell down so we could see his face in one shot,” she said. “And, with the way he entered the store, we were able to get at least a partial print.”
Even though the store’s security system — which includes an alarm system, in addition to the security cameras — is already pretty strong, Schmid said it will be enhanced following the break in.
The company is familiar with break-ins, with four previous stores victimized by people looking for drugs, Schmid said. In one instance, a man broke into the company’s former location on Main Street and stole many pills, but he was eventually found out a few days later after he overdosed, she said.
At least one other area pharmacy has been hit by drug thieves in recent months. There were two burglaries at Saline Pharmacy in late 2011 and early 2012, which resulted in a man pleading guilty to both crimes. Dustin Flodin, 30, is serving between one and 10 years in prison for those crimes, according to state records.
Schmid is hopeful a similar fate is waiting for the man who broke into her pharmacy on Monday. She said she’s confident, given the evidence that was left behind, that police will be able to make an arrest in the case.
The man is described as white, in his late teens to early 20s, thin build, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue bandana over his face and blue jeans, according to police. Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office spokesman Derrick Jackson did not immediately respond to a request for the image of the man's face from security camera footage.
Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office’s anonymous tip line at 734-973-7711.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Berda Green
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 5:26 p.m.
well we wanna see his face ok get a pic soon plz
RJA
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 6:32 a.m.
Sad, but no comment at this time. (just have a feeling he will be arrested soon)
M.
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 5:16 a.m.
Then why did you comment? =/
Jim
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 2:42 a.m.
You know, when I first moved to Dexter from Saline some twenty years ago, I did so because Saline was slowly turning into a suburb of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. With that came increasing amounts of "trouble", to be politically correct. Dexter reminded me of Saline back in the late 60's and 70's. Over the last few years, that "trouble" has slowly been creeping into Dexter. I think there has been three or four armed robberies in or close to town, two at Mugg & Bopps where the night clerk was pistol whipped and one out at the Huron Creek Party Store on Dexter-Pinckney Road. Now this. I guess my next stop is Unadilla or maybe Gregory. Thereis nothing out there for 'em to rob.
M.
Wed, May 9, 2012 : 5:15 a.m.
Yeah, have fun with the heroin addiction-fueled crime out that way, buddy. There is crime anywhere you go - it's just more rare in some places. I come from Pinckney/Hell and I recall over 15 years ago the police were on a manhunt for some kind of violent felon. It didn't mean where I lived wasn't safe anymore - it just means no matter WHERE you live there will be instances of crime.
dexterreader
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 1:05 p.m.
Don't forget the Jenny's Farm Market "heist" last year. btw ... every Sunday AnnArbor.com publishes the "Police Beat" in their printed edition for various places in Livingston and Washtenaw counties. Maybe you should check it out. No place is immune any more.
roiwhite
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 10:01 a.m.
Maybe Howell would be far enough for you...
roiwhite
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 10 a.m.
So, what "trouble" (politically correct) are you referring to? What does Unadilla or Gregory have, or not have, that makes it so much safer?
Vette96drvr
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 1:31 a.m.
Hope you post the pic when the counties "finest" get around to forwarding a copy to you. In the mean time, wonder how many people could potentialy O.D. on the pills that were stolen while readers could be identifiying the perp though his photo, had it been available.
nickcarraweigh
Mon, May 7, 2012 : 11:16 p.m.
Shut up and listen. It's a super-secret, double-encoded, computer-protected security camera photo and as such unsuitable for the public. Also, unlike virtually every other security camera photo annarbor.com has actually posted in the past, it is a recognizable photograph of an actual human being. So there.
Dcam
Mon, May 7, 2012 : 8:54 p.m.
Obviously, the picture is a bit of nostalgia to the early days of 'Illustrated' newspapers, before the rotogravure came along.
smokeblwr
Mon, May 7, 2012 : 7:09 p.m.
I think it is funny the picture of the Dexter Pharmacy is just a drawing, rather than an actual photo. Is it that hard to find the Dexter Pharmacy and snap a pic?
Village Person
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 1:19 p.m.
Dexter Pharmacy was originally located on Main Street next to the Dairy Queen parking lot. They still own the building. I love the new pharmacy! Support local businesses!
Elaine F. Owsley
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 12:24 p.m.
Ann must be new to the territory. The Dexter Pharmacy was just next to the Dairy Queen parking lot and before that was McLeod's Pharmacy.
dextermom
Tue, May 8, 2012 : 12:23 p.m.
3 years is hardly "new". Google map has a photo... And yes, while I suppose they were talking about Dex-A2, before they moved there Dexter Pharmacy was on Main St, downtown.
Ann English
Mon, May 7, 2012 : 11:14 p.m.
I don't remember the Dexter Pharmacy ever being on Main Street, but do remember it being on Dexter-Ann Arbor Road, not far from the Country Market. If it looks today like it does in the drawing, then it has a bigger selection of health and beauty products than it did earlier. Specialty products for feet, I would expect.
justcurious
Mon, May 7, 2012 : 8:47 p.m.
It's a fairly new building and there may not be any photos available yet. This is the architects photo, of course and it looks just like the building. Imagine that!
Mike D.
Mon, May 7, 2012 : 6:14 p.m.
Speaking of pills, am I taking crazy pills? Wouldn't the photo of the perp be the most obvious image to accompany this story, not a rendering of the pharmacy?
Rich Rezler
Mon, May 7, 2012 : 6:20 p.m.
As noted in the story, we've requested but have not yet received the image from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office. Thanks.