Police Nab Alleged 'Drug Store Bandit'

Falls Township police say they have apprehended the so-called Drug Store Bandit following the armed robbery Wednesday night of the Country Farms convenience store on Makefield Road in Morrisville.

Roland Woodward IV, 36, of Langhorne has been charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault and related counts to Wednesday night's alleged crime. He is currently held at Bucks County prison in lieu of 10 percent payment of $250,000 bail.

A Falls Township police spokesperson confirmed that Woodward is also under suspicion for six other armed robberies that began in February at the Rite Aid in Bristol Borough. That store was hit again in March and July, followed by three holdups at three separate pharmacies in Falls and Lower Makefield between Oct. 19 and Oct. 22, according to LevittownNow.com. Charges have not yet been filed on the six other alleged robberies.

According to the affidavit, Falls officers were called to Country Farms Wednesday at approximately 7:15 p.m. after an employee left the store during the robbery and called 911. Police say that Woodward fled the scene before officers arrived, but video surveillance showed the robber wearing a dark-colored parka with a zippered hood, blue latex gloves and a white bandana over his face. According to the report, Woodward pointed a handgun at the clerk, who later told police that the robber stole more than $600 from two cash registers before ordering her to lie on the ground as he fled the scene on foot.

According to court documents, when officers first began investigating the surrounding area, a black Dodge ram pickup truck flipped on its headlights and began to drive away from the scene. Officers stopped the car and spoke with the driver, who said he was waiting for a text message from his girlfriend but decided to leave.

After speaking with Lower Makefield detectives, the affidavit says, Falls officers determined that the driver was a friend of Woodward, who was a lead suspect in the previous armed robberies.

According to the affidavit, Falls Township detectives spoke to the driver at his home and were told during the interview that he and Woodward had been friends since they were 14 years old and that they were both addicted to Percocet.

The court documents say that the driver received a text from Woodward earlier in the evening asking for ride to get some money. After arriving at Country Farms, Woodward told the driver to park near the rear of the store and wait for him, according to the criminal complaint. When police officers arrived on the scene, the driver got frightened and tried to leave, the affidavit says.

According to police, the driver showed detectives a series of text messages from Woodward that described where to pick him up. Following the directions to Winding Way in Morrisville, Falls Township officers arrived at the area allegedly described by Woodward. 

According to the affidavit, when he emerged from the side of one of the houses, officers identified themselves to Woodward, who tried to flee on foot. The officers caught up to him and placed Woodward on the ground, the criminal complaint says. During a pat down of Woodward, documents say, police found a .32 short-barreled revolver, $631 in cash, a white bandanna and blue latex gloves.

Woodward's preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for November 20 at 9 a.m. The driver has been interviewed by police but no charges have been filed against him.