Crime & Safety
Robber Jumps Pharmacy Counter, Steals 31 Bottles of Pills
The man tried to disguise himself by wearing a canvas grocery bag on his head, deputies reported.
A robber concealing his face with a grocery bag made a brazen attempt to steal drugs from a Santa Cruz pharmacy Wednesday morning, the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office reported.
The robber jumped over the pharmacy counter at Walgreens on Soquel Avenue just after 8 a.m. and demanded drugs, according to deputy April Skalland.
He got dozens of bottles of pills, then fled the store on a skateboard.
Deputies arrested Stephen Hill, 26, nearby shortly after the heist and arrested him on suspicion of robbery.
Skalland said Hill was wearing latex gloves, a white sweatshirt and blue jeans, and he had a skateboard when he was caught by deputies. Hill also had a white canvas grocery bag with two holes poke in it.
Deputies took 27 bottles of methadone, 3 bottles of Alprazolam, 1 bottle of morphine from Hill, suspected to be the stolen drugs.
Sheriff’s deputies were patrolling the city of Santa Cruz while the Santa Cruz Police Department took a full staff photo.
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