ANN ARBOR, MI – A man suspected of robbing a CVS pharmacy in Ann Arbor in June is facing federal charges after his run of robbing CVS locations in southeast Michigan came to an end with the help of the FBI and a decoy pill bottle.

Kristopher Kukola, 37, was indicted, July 8, on one federal count of pharmacy robbery after FBI agents found there was probable cause to believe he had robbed five CVS pharmacies between May and July, demanding narcotics, according to a federal complaint filed in the United States District Court Eastern District of Michigan.

The FBI Detroit Violent Crime Task Force began investigating a string of armed robberies of CVS pharmacies in southeast Michigan in June. In the robberies, the suspect stole a variety of narcotics including Norco, Vicodin, Adderall, Percocet, Xanex, Codeine and Oxycodone.

The first armed robbery occurred at 10:36 p.m., May 24, where police in Van Buren Township were called to the CVS pharmacy at 10915 Belleville Road for an armed robbery.

The pharmacist told officers a masked man approached the counter and said, “I don’t mean to alarm you, but this is a robbery. Get me all the Norcos and Vicodin you have; you have 10 seconds” before reaching into his pocket and showing the handle to a black handgun, according to the federal affidavit.

After being given a selection of pills in a bag, the man told the pharmacist to lay of the floor, and then he fled the scene.

On June 2, Saline police were called to an armed robbery of the CVS pharmacy at 413 E. Michigan Ave., where a masked man handed the pharmacist a torn piece of paper listing a variety of drugs to be handed over before displaying a black handgun.

Again, after being handed a bag full of controlled substances the man told the pharmacist to lay on the floor before he fled the scene.

On June 8, the CVS pharmacy at 10915 Belleville Road in Van Buren Township reported being robbed again by a man who appeared to be the same man who robbed the pharmacy in May, according to the affidavit.

In this instance, the pharmacist told the suspect he could not open the pill safe due to a three-minute delay. The suspect told the pharmacist, “That is OK. If other customers come in, I am just another customer.”

After being handed a bag full of controlled substances, the man said, “I know there are more than this. Everyone’s lives are in your hands right now. I will start shooting everyone, I know there is more,” records show.

The pharmacist then returned to the pill safe and filled the bag with more prescription drugs before being told again to lay on the ground while the suspect fled.

On June 14, Ann Arbor police were called to the CVS Pharmacy at 3535 Plymouth Road in Ann Arbor for a reported armed robbery.

Related: Police investigating armed robbery at CVS pharmacy in Ann Arbor

The suspect, demanding controlled substances from the pill safe, was told there was a three-minute lock on the safe before being tossed some Norcos by another pharmacist, satisfying his demands before the suspect fled the pharmacy.

On July 7, Milan Police were called to the CVS Pharmacy, 1249 Dexter St., for a reported armed robbery.

A man handed the pharmacist a note listing several controlled substances, a timeframe for how long it should take to gather them and “no cops” written on the bottom.

While filling the bag with pills, the pharmacist slipped a “decoy” pill bottle into the bag which had a GPS tracker in it monitored by a third-party security company.

Police, tracking the GPS pill bottle, found the fleeing suspect driving a Silver Jeep Compass and followed it to an apartment complex in Belleville where he leapt from the vehicle and attempted to run away.

A police canine unit found the man, later identified as Kukola, who attempted to deceive officers by telling them “the guy you are looking for ran that way.”

Police searched Kukola’s Jeep and found the stolen drugs, the decoy bottle and a black BB gun.

Later that day, Kukola was interviewed by FBI agents and admitted to robbing the four CVS pharmacies, using a BB gun to commit the act.

No court dates have been set yet. Pharmacy robbery is a federal felony punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.

Kukola has been previously convicted on various drug charges and currently pending charges for drug possession and reckless driving in Washtenaw County, court records show.

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