Man arrested for pharmacy robbery
By Gillian Graham
Staff Writer
A Biddeford native was arrested hours after he allegedly called in a fake abduction to draw officers away from downtown while he robbed a pharmacy.
Kyle Desmarais, 28, was arrested and charged with class A robbery about four hours after he allegedly robbed the new CVS pharmacy in Biddeford.
Police Chief Roger Beaupre said a man called dispatchers around 9:25 p.m. Monday to report a possible abduction on Hills Beach Road near the University of New England. The man, who identified himself as Christopher Allen, told police a white van with two men pulled up and tried to take two women into the vehicle, he said.
Beaupre said a supervisor was suspicious and decided to send one unit to Hills Beach Road but keep other patrol units in town.
“We’ve had issues come up over the past month where we get distraction calls and then a burglary happens,” Beaupre said.
About 18 minutes after the abduction call, a robbery at CVS pharmacy at the Five Points intersection was reported to police. Beaupre said a pharmacist told police that a man came in, displayed the handle of a weapon and demanded drugs.
Beaupre said the man left the pharmacy with 300 Oxycontin pills. Because it appeared he left on foot, a State Police K-9 unit was called in to start tracking the suspect, whose image was recorded on security cameras.
“He made no real attempt to conceal his identity when he went into the store,” he said.
Meanwhile, Beaupre said a dispatcher continued to gather more information on the abduction call. The dispatcher traced the cell phone number to a Las Vegas plumbing company.
The owner told police the cell phone was taken by an employee who had been fired for an alleged theft.
Beaupre said the dispatcher determined the former employee was Desmarais, a Biddeford native with family in the area. He was staying at Dallaire’s Motel with his girlfriend, he said.
Beaupre said after police identified Desmarais as the robbery suspect, they surrounded the motel to take him into custody. Desmarais attempted to run out of a back door, where officers took him down at gunpoint at 1:25 a.m., he said.
Desmarais then “readily” admitted to police he placed the phone call about the abduction and robbed the pharmacy, Beaupre said. He told police where in Arundel to find the jacket, hat and fake gun he used in the robbery, according to police.
Desmarais told police he had already taken 20 of the 300 stolen pills. Beapure said the street value of the drug is $5 to $10 per pill.
Beaupre praised the restraint of the supervisor in how he handled the initial call, as well as the work of the dispatcher to track the phone number and connect the two incidents.
Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.
Staff Writer
A Biddeford native was arrested hours after he allegedly called in a fake abduction to draw officers away from downtown while he robbed a pharmacy.
Kyle Desmarais, 28, was arrested and charged with class A robbery about four hours after he allegedly robbed the new CVS pharmacy in Biddeford.
Police Chief Roger Beaupre said a man called dispatchers around 9:25 p.m. Monday to report a possible abduction on Hills Beach Road near the University of New England. The man, who identified himself as Christopher Allen, told police a white van with two men pulled up and tried to take two women into the vehicle, he said.
Beaupre said a supervisor was suspicious and decided to send one unit to Hills Beach Road but keep other patrol units in town.
“We’ve had issues come up over the past month where we get distraction calls and then a burglary happens,” Beaupre said.
About 18 minutes after the abduction call, a robbery at CVS pharmacy at the Five Points intersection was reported to police. Beaupre said a pharmacist told police that a man came in, displayed the handle of a weapon and demanded drugs.
Beaupre said the man left the pharmacy with 300 Oxycontin pills. Because it appeared he left on foot, a State Police K-9 unit was called in to start tracking the suspect, whose image was recorded on security cameras.
“He made no real attempt to conceal his identity when he went into the store,” he said.
Meanwhile, Beaupre said a dispatcher continued to gather more information on the abduction call. The dispatcher traced the cell phone number to a Las Vegas plumbing company.
The owner told police the cell phone was taken by an employee who had been fired for an alleged theft.
Beaupre said the dispatcher determined the former employee was Desmarais, a Biddeford native with family in the area. He was staying at Dallaire’s Motel with his girlfriend, he said.
Beaupre said after police identified Desmarais as the robbery suspect, they surrounded the motel to take him into custody. Desmarais attempted to run out of a back door, where officers took him down at gunpoint at 1:25 a.m., he said.
Desmarais then “readily” admitted to police he placed the phone call about the abduction and robbed the pharmacy, Beaupre said. He told police where in Arundel to find the jacket, hat and fake gun he used in the robbery, according to police.
Desmarais told police he had already taken 20 of the 300 stolen pills. Beapure said the street value of the drug is $5 to $10 per pill.
Beaupre praised the restraint of the supervisor in how he handled the initial call, as well as the work of the dispatcher to track the phone number and connect the two incidents.
Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.
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