Police: Pharmacist changed would-be robber’s mind

A would-be robber changed his mind at the behest of a pharmacist Wednesday night, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. The man asked to be escorted from the Walgreens at 7905 N. Division St., and employees didn’t see which direction he went or whether he left in a car. Now deputies are asking for help identifying a suspect. Employees called 911 about 8 p.m. and said a man had handed them a note demanding prescription drugs. “When the pharmacist asked the man if he really wanted to go through with a robbery, the suspect asked to be walked to the front of the store,” according to a news release prepared by Sgt. Dave Reagan. The suspect is described as a white male in his 20s, 5-foot-7, 145 pounds with blue eyes, a sore on the side of his lip and a tattoo near one of his eyes. He wore a black-hooded coat, blue jeans and black sneakers and spoke with an eastern European accent, witnesses told detectives. Anyone with information about the attempted robbery or the suspect is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233. Two weeks ago, a north Spokane woman helped catch a suspected pharmacy robber down the street from Wednesday’s attempted robbery. Jeremy M. Mace, 22, pleaded innocent Wednesday to one count of first-degree robbery in Spokane County Superior Court. Mace was arrested with bottles of methadone April 30 after the woman spotted him running from the Rite Aid at 5520 N. Division St. and stayed on the phone with 911 as she followed him, according to police.