Chapin, SC (Paul Kirby) – First Sergeant Frick of the Chapin Police Department was led on a pursuit Wednesday evening after a suspect tried to pass a forged or fake prescription at Chapin Pharmacy. An experienced pharmacist recognized that the script was a fake and immediately notified the police. Chapin Pharmacy is located at 138 Amick’s Ferry Road in Chapin.
According to Chapin Police Chief Seth Zeigler, Frick arrived quickly and attempted to make contact with the suspect in the drive thru lane of the pharmacy. Frick said he believes there may have been another person in the small, four-door Nissan sedan that he caught a glimpse of as he approached the vehicle. Instead of stopping to speak to the sergeant, the driver recognized his car and uniform as that of a law enforcement officer and turned out of the drive-thru lane, speeding away.
The suspect didn't turn back toward the Town of Chapin, instead, he fled down Amick's Ferry Road toward the lake. By the time that the sergeant got back in his cruiser and began catching up to the vehicle, other cars had gotten in between him and the fleeing driver. Because the sergeant is trained in pursuit driving, he recognized that Amick’s Ferry Road, a two-lane twisting, curving, country road, was no place to attempt to pass the traffic separating him from the fleeing suspect. Those drivers had little room to pull off the pavement even though the police cruiser was using its lights and siren. Once Sergeant Frick lost sight of the speeding car, he terminated the pursuit for safety reasons.
Chapin officers are now following up on the attempted crime by using investigative measures. The Chapin Police Department may be able to pull photos of the car and its driver from the pharmacy’s security cameras. If they do and release those, we will pass them along to the public as well.
If anyone has any idea who was operating the vehicle or its probable passenger, please call the Chapin Police Department at (803) 345-6443. You can ask for First Sergeant Frick or Chief Zeigler. You can also give tips through Midland’s Crime Stoppers by calling them at 1-888-CRIME SC. They even have a website for making tips at www.midlandscrimestoppers.com. Once there, navigate to the SUBMIT A TIP tab to give Crime Stoppers the information you have. You may remain anonymous.
