The Tyrone Borough Police Department responded to a report of broken windows at the Community Pharmacy building located along Pennsylvania Avenue at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, November 12.
When officers arrived on the scene, police discovered that both windows of the pharmacy’s entry doors were smashed and a brick was found as well.
Police reviewed a surveillance video that showed a white male breaking the outer door window with a brick around the time of 1 a.m. The unknown burglar returned to the scene shortly after 4 a.m. and broke the inner door window with what appeared to be a hammer or similar tool, and then entered the pharmacy, but quickly left upon entry. The man returned a third time after 6 a.m. and again entered the pharmacy.
Tyrone Borough Police Chief Joe Beachem said that the burglar made his way back to the area where the prescription drugs are kept, but at this time it is believed that nothing was stolen.
The white male was described as wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with blue stripes down the shoulders and sleeves. When the man entered the pharmacy, he covered his face with a handkerchief.
Beachem noted that this was the third incident at Community Pharmacy in recent years. The pharmacy has been robbed once, as well as burglarized twice. He considers this incident to be drug related.
“It wasn’t a well planned out break-in, and the good thing is he didn’t get anything,” stated Beachem. “It really is a well protected place, so we don’t know why it’s a target.”
Beachem said that police do have one solid lead, and that the department is vigorously following up on that lead. He didn’t go into detail on what or who police are considering.
In a related incident on November 12, the Dollar General Store in RD 4 Tyrone, near Grazierville, had a reported attempted burglary between 5 and 6 a.m. the same morning. An unknown person smashed the front door window and a brick was found at that scene also, but the perpetrator did not go into the store.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that the two incidents are related,” said Beachem. “Burglaries like these are fueled almost every time by the need of narcotics, or the need of money for narcotics.”
Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to call the Tyrone Borough Police Department at 814-684-1364.
