TOPSHAM

Topsham police arrested a 29-year-old woman Wednesday whom they say went into the Rite-Aid and Hannaford pharmacies minutes apart on the evening of July 18 and passed the pharmacists a note demanding prescription drugs.

Arrested Wednesday night by Sgt. Mark Gilliam and charged with two counts of Class B robbery was Sarah J. Wilson, 29, with a last known address of Richmond.

According to a press release issued by police after the robberies, a white female age 20 to 30 years old with brown hair, a heavy build and wearing a green shirt with two horizontal stripes, entered the Rite-Aid on Mallet Drive at 7:12 p.m.

Topsham Police Chief Christopher Lewis said Friday the woman, later identified as Wilson, did not say anything but handed the pharmacist a note demanding all of the Oxycontin and Oxycodone. The note made reference to another person with a gun, essentially warning the pharmacist not to say anything. Lewis said the pharmacist began to dial 911 and Wilson ran off before police arrived. Both Gilliam and

While still at Rite-Aid, Lewis said they got a call of a similar incident of the nearby Hannaford pharmacy, which according to the initial press release was reported at approximately 7:25 p.m. Lewis said the woman again handed the pharmacist a note referencing someone having a gun, “and if they didn’t comply within a certain timeframe, there would be problems.”

Lewis said Wilson was able to obtain an undisclosed amount of pills centered around Oxycodone. He said the monetary price of the pills is still part of the ongoing investigation. Police didn’t have the pills in their possession as of Friday. No weapon was displayed and police did not recover a weapon or see a weapon displayed on surveillance footage, according to Lewis.

Using surveillance video and witness statements, police were able to develop the description of the suspect and verify her identity as that of Sarah J. Wilson. Topsham police were notified Wednesday at about 10:30 p.m. that Brunswick Police Department had arrested Wilson on an unrelated outstanding warrant. Gilliam and Cook went to the Brunswick police station to meet with Wilson and arrested her there for the two counts of robbery and transported her to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. Lewis said her bail was set at $100,000 cash.

Deputy Chief Marc Hagan of the Brunswick Police Department said this morning that Brunswick police arrested Wilson on Wednesday at 9:36 p.m. at 28 Pollard Ave., Brunswick, on a warrant for failure to appear. Based on what they found in her home, Hagan said police also charged Wilson with unlawful possession of schedule W drugs, unlawful possession of schedule Z drugs, and sale and use of drug paraphernalia. The report noted that Topsham police wanted to question her about a couple of robberies in Topsham.

Lewis said Friday, “I’d like to thank Sgt. (Paul) Hansen from Brunswick Police Department and Sgt. Gilliam and Officer Cook for their hard work and cooperation in bringing this around to a quick resolution.

Even though there are some loose ends,” the investigation thus far indicates that police have arrested and charged the main suspect and positively identified the person responsible for passing the notes in both the successful and attempted robberies in Topsham.

However, “we believe that she did not act alone and we obviously want to try to locate the pills and the other persons involved,” Lewis said.

Police continue to investigate both incidents and gather any information regarding anyone who assisted Wilson in committing these crimes.