Attempted Robbery Of Local Pharmacy Has Employees Shaken
John "Jake" McGee speaks about the attempted robbery at Medicap Pharmacy in Oskaloosa
It was your typical Wednesday. Employees of Medicap Pharmacy in Oskaloosa went about their work helping the residents of Oskaloosa with their prescription needs when a woman in her 20s wearing large sunglasses changed not only their day, but their lives.
Oskaloosa’s Medicap Pharmacy owned by Michelle Heidebrink was taken by surprise when a woman crossed the small hinged gate that is normally all that is used to separate the public from the staff area.
Heidebrink had been sitting in her office, when the female told her to get off the phone. Heidebrink was not actually on the phone at the time, but was instead listening to some music. The female then showed Heidebrink a gun, and requested all Control 2’s (Oxycodone, Codeine and Hydrocodone are common examples of this class). She then turned and showed the gun that was in her bag to another employee. The suspect then proceeded into a different part of the store, while Heidebrink went out a different door in her office to alert staff of the situation.
Oskaloosa Police were on the scene for nearly 2 hours on Wednesday
Heidebrink thinks the suspect may have become confused by the layout of the store, and after the staff informed her that they did not have any of the types of drugs she was looking for, the suspect took off out the back door of the pharmacy. As soon as they were sure she had left the building, Heidebrink informed everyone to lock the doors and to keep the suspect out while an employee called 911 and told dispatchers they had been robbed at gun point.
The female appeared to be only interested in the drugs, as she never asked for money from the register, nor attempted to take any of the cash that was being counted in an office.
I asked Heidebrink if she thought this person had knowledge of drugs because she was looking for a specific group of drugs. “If she didn’t have knowledge of drugs, she knew somebody that did have knowledge of drugs.” Heidebrink said. “To actually ask for all Control 2’s, she had to have some knowledge.” Heidebrink continued.
In an emotional interview after police officials had left, Heidebrink was visibly shaken, but was also very thankful that no one had been hurt during the several minutes the suspect was in the store.
Our local friends over at CRI have some excellent footage up of the interview they had with Michelle. Visit their video post HERE.
Oskaloosa Police Department
The Oskaloosa Police Department sent out the following Press Release shortly after the attempted robbery:
On Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at approximately 1:00 pm, a white female entered the Medicap Pharmacy, located at 504 A Avenue West in Oskaloosa, Iowa and demanded schedule two controlled substances. At the time of making the request, the female displayed a black semi-automatic hand gun. Store employees advised that they did not have what she was looking for. The female subject then exited the business through the back door. The female’s direction of travel is unknown.
