NAPLES – A Windham man suspected in two southern Maine pharmacy robberies, including the May 2010 robbery of the Naples Rite Aid Pharmacy, was arrested Wednesday morning in Wells.

Jessie Arthur Lavalle, 21, of 21 Walter Partridge Road in Windham, was out on bail for allegedly robbing a CVS Pharmacy in Biddeford when the arrest occurred. He’s currently awaiting arraignment in Cumberland County Jail.

In examining the two robberies, detectives at the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office believe Lavalle is also responsible for the Naples drug heist, which happened a week earlier than the CVS robbery. Oxycontin was stolen in both cases.

“It’s good work by detectives,” Capt. Don Goulet said. “Sometimes it takes us months to put everything together but we’re happy we can make the charge.”

Goulet said Lavalle had recently failed to report to his probation officer. While his mother lives in Windham, Goulet said Lavalle’s biological father lives in Wells, where he was apprehended.

“We’ve been working with Biddeford police since he’s a suspect in the Biddeford CVS robbery. The MO was similar to the Naples robbery,” Goulet said.

In last spring’s Rite Aid robbery, which was caught on videotape, the suspect wore sunglasses, sweatpants, gloves and a camouflage jacket for the daylight robbery, which took place at about 5:30 p.m. After threatening pharmacy employees saying he would “blow heads off” if they refused to comply, he made off with a quantity of Oxycontin, a strong pain medication. A weapon was not displayed and there was no accomplice, Goulet said.

Jessie Lavalle