Walgreen’s Pharmacy at 580 Indian Boundary Road was robbed on Wednesday of prescription medications by a man who implied possession of a gun, Chesterton Police said.

According to police, at approximately 2:15 p.m. a male subject entered the store, walked to the pharmacy counter, and—implying but not displaying a gun--demanded prescribed but undisclosed controlled substances. An employee gave him a quantity of pills and the subject then fled the store in an unknown direction and by an unknown means of travel. A canvas of the area and surrounding businesses has so far failed to yield any additional information, police said.

Several customers were in Walgreen’s at the time but no one was injured.

The suspect was described as being approximately 5’ 6’’ to 5’ 10’’ in height and 175 pounds in weight and wearing a baseball cap.

Wednesday’s robbery is the fifth in the Town of Chesterton this year and the first of a business not a bank:

•Ist Source Bank at 800 Indian Boundary Road, the former site of the Porter County Visitors Center, was robbed on Jan. 25 by a white male in his thirties, around 5’ 8’’ in height with a thin build and blond hair, with a scarf around his face and wearing a light-colored stocking cap and a brown coat. The suspect implied possession of a gun. He escaped in a born or tan Cadillac parked near the Tiny Bubbles car wash at 451 Roberts Road and was last seen on Sand Creek Drive North.

•1st Source Bank was robbed a second time on April 7 by a Hispanic male, 30 to 35 years of age, 5’ 8’’ to 5’ 9’’ in height and 165 to 185 pounds in weight, wearing a light-color cowboy or safari hat, blue jeans, a gray-zippered hooded sweatshirt, and sunglasses. The suspect implied possession of a gun. He escaped in a light-blue or light-green minivan parked near the Tiny Bubbles car.

•Chase Bank at 109 Broadway was robbed on May 21 by a black male, around 6’ 0’’ in height, well dressed in casual business attire and wearing a tan beret. The suspect neither displayed a weapon nor implied possession of one. He escaped in a faded red Oldsmobile four-door passenger vehicle parked in front of Anton Insurance Agency at 155 S. Calumet Road and was last seen westbound on Broadway.

•LaPorte Savings Bank at 851 Indian Boundary Road was robbed on July 2 by a Hispanic male, 5’ 5’’ in height and 140 pounds in weight, wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt with a white long-sleeved shirt beneath it, khaki trousers, a camouflage floppy jungle hat, and dark sunglasses. The suspect implied possession of a gun, fled through a rear door to a service road north of the bank, and escaped in an unknown direction and by an unknown means of travel.

Det. Lt. Dave Cincoski of the CPD told the Chesterton Tribune today that the successful investigation of these robberies depends in large part on the close cooperation of police, businesses, and witnesses, while banks especially need to take care to harden the target in the first place. “Video surveillance cameras need to be appropriately placed at key observation points, in the bank lobby or at entrances,” he said. “Proper bank policy and procedures must also be followed, including persons’ not discussing the robbery with co-workers or fellow witnesses until after they have been interviewed by police.”

Anyone with information about the Walgreen’s robbery on Wednesday or any of the other robberies is encouraged to contact the Investigations Division at 926-1136.

Posted 7/10/2008