Police are investigating the armed robbery of a local pharmacy on Thursday after a man in a mask brandished a firearm and reportedly stole prescription medication.
Shortly before Noon on Wednesday, deputies and investigators with the Carter County Sheriff’s Office responded to Hampton Pharmacy, located at 339 Highway 321 in Hampton, after pharmacy staff called 911 to report a robbery. Dispatchers told responding officers the 911 caller said the man obtained prescription medication and then left the pharmacy.
Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford confirmed that the suspect did take an undisclosed amount and type of prescription medication from the pharmacy.
According to police, the man fled the pharmacy in a large, older model red or maroon Ford Explorer. Witnesses reported the right-side rear window of SUV was covered with a black trash bag.
Investigators have released security camera images captured of the suspect which depict him holding a gun inside the pharmacy.
Witnesses described the man as a white male between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches tall. He was wearing a blue jacket, blue jeans, a ball cap and had a blue mask covering his face.
The Carter County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information regarding the identity of the suspect to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 423-542-1845. Tips can also be submitted through the Sheriff’s Office website at www.sheriff.cc/contacts/crime-tip/. All tips can be made anonymously.
Schools in the area of the robbery went into lockdown Thursday as a safety precaution according to Director of Carter County Schools Dr. Kevin Ward.
Hampton Elementary School, which is across the road from Hampton Pharmacy, along with Hampton High School and Valley Forge Elementary were placed in what Ward described as a “hard lockdown.” During a “hard lockdown,” school staff secures the perimeter, all students housed in modular classroom units are brought into the main school building, and students and staff lockdown inside the classrooms.
“Our School Resource Officers did a good job getting the students inside from the modular units,” Ward said, adding he commended the officers and staff for quick actions to ensure the safety of the students.
The three schools later transitioned into a “soft lockdown” where the perimeter remained secured, but the students and staff were free to move around inside the main school buildings. Ward said the lockdown was fully lifted around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.