Police seeking man who robbed Wagener pharmacy

Wagener schools were put on lockdown this morning while local law enforcement officers searched for an armed robber who held up a Main Street pharmacy and made off with narcotics, officials say.

Wagener Police Chief Jeff Key described the gunman as a white male, between 20-25 years old, about 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 150 pounds. He was wearing a blue hoodie sweatshirt and blue jeans.

About 8:30 a.m., an employee at the Wagener Drug Company, 129 Main St., went to lock a rear door after a delivery was made and instead ran into a gunman who ordered that she fill up a plastic garbage bag with drugs.

"He handed her a white trash bag and directed her to get what he wanted, like Oxycontin, Percocet and morphine," Key said.

After she filled the bag, he ordered the woman to open a door within the pharmacy, which was to a bathroom. He told her to lie on the floor for five minutes, Key said.

She said she heard him leave, and then heard the door reopen. It was a coworker, he said.

An officer immediately began to search Wagener for the suspect, and found a CO2-powered BB gun pistol in the area, which Key said appears to have been the gun the robber used.

The pistol looked like a semiautomatic weapon, Key said. There were no markings on the gun to indicate it was a BB gun.

The Aiken Bloodhound team assisted Wagener and Salley officers in the search, but the suspect likely got into a vehicle and escaped, Key said.

He wouldn't speculate on whether the robber had an accomplice who picked him up or left a vehicle parked as a getaway car.

The schools were on lockdown for about an hour, officials said.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact the Wagener Police Department at (803) 564-5411 or the Aiken County Sheriff's Office at (800) 922-9709.

Individuals also should call Crimestoppers of the Midlands at (888) CRIME - SC. Callers can remain anonymous and will be eligible for a cash reward of between $50 and $1000.