July 2, 2012

Saco man charged with robbing same pharmacy three times

By David Hench dhench@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

GORHAM — A Saco man arrested Sunday minutes after a robbery at Community Pharmacy at 365 Main St. on Sunday faces charges connected to two earlier robberies at the same pharmacy.

John Vernon Jr., 28, was spotted driving a maroon Chevrolet Malibu on Route 202, a car that matched what a witness said was used as a getaway car following the 8:30 .m. pharmacy robbery, police said.

Police tried to pull over the car but it sped off, eventually going off the road and down an embankment, police said. Vernon ran and was found hiding in a truck in the nearby LKQ Auto Parts salvage yard.

Vernon was charged with robbery, eluding an officer, driving with a suspended license, theft and criminal speed, police said. He also was charged with two other counts of robbery stemming from robberies on April 16 and May 10 at the same pharmacy. The additional charges were brought based on interviewing the suspect and a search of his car, said Detective Sgt. David Thompson.

"We've been working these cases since the first one. We had a vehicle description and were trying to narrow it down," Thompson said. "It just takes time and you hope for a key piece of evidence or lucky break."

Police believe Vernon acted alone and the robberies he is charged in are unrelated to the Rite-Aid pharmacy robbery last week.

Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form

Send question/comment to the editors




Further Discussion

Here at PressHerald.com we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion. To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use.

Questions about the article? Add them below and we’ll try to answer them or do a follow-up post as soon as we can. Technical problems? Email them to us with an exact description of the problem. Make sure to include:
  • Type of computer or mobile device your are using
  • Exact operating system and browser you are viewing the site on (TIP: You can easily determine your operating system here.)


Most…