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Crime & Safety

Redlands Police Make Arrest in Pharmacy Burglary

A Long Beach man was caught after the theft of thousands of dollars in prescription drugs from a Redlands Walgreens location.

A Long Beach man is in custody after a break-in at a Redlands Walgreens location that may be tied to similar robberies in the region.

Redlands Police responded to an alarm about 4:45 a.m. Wednesday, and picked up the suspect's vehicle leaving the scene, said Carl Baker, the police departmen's public information officer. Police saw the car drive westbound on Interstate 10, exiting the freeway at Tippecanoe Avenue in San Bernardino.

They found the vehicle parked outside the Denny's restaurant, and observed the stolen items in the car. When they contacted a man nearby, he ran away. Police were able to quickly apprehend the man, 29-year-old Brian Allan Richard.

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Inside the car, they found Richard's identification, along with about $3,500 worth of Oxycontin pills stolen from the pharmacy. Investigators determined that the suspect broke two windows and pried open a locked cabinent where the drugs were stored.

According to Redlands Police, Walgreens Loss Prevention unit recently sent out an alert about a series of at least 15 burglaries at locations in Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties. Redlands officials are working with other law enforcement agencies to see if Richard may be connected to those incidents.

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Richard is now being held in lieu of $50,000 bail at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on charges of commercial burglary, parole violations, possession of narcotics for sale and resisting an officer. He is scheduled for arraignment at 12:30 p.m. Friday.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Detective Tony Ortiz at (909) 798-7659 or anonymous tips can be provided by texting 274637 using the keyword “REDTIP.”

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