ROCK HILL, S.C. — Police have arrested a man accused of breaking into pharmacies in Rock Hill.
Officers said the man behind the crimes is 28-year-old Gary Lester.
Kia Hicklin is the pharmacist at Good Pharmacy, one of the places recently hit twice in two weeks.
“We’re very relieved,” Hicklin said.
Police said surveillance video caught Lester carrying a stepladder to help him crawl in through the attic.
They said the first time, he cleared the shelves of painkillers and the second, the alarm scared him off.
“We can sleep easier at night, knowing that's been taken care of,” Hicklin said.
Police said another camera caught Lester using a hatchet to try and break into Carolina Pharmacy.
A tip to Crime Stoppers led officers to Lester.
They said he worked for a local heating and air company and knew the inner workings of one of the pharmacies.
Business owners are just glad to see an arrest.
“It's been a long road and we're really glad they caught him, and we hope this is over at this point.”