Armed Pharmacy Robbery Lands New Hampshire Man in Prison

A brazen armed pharmacy robbery in Kittery, Maine, has landed a New Hampshire man in federal prison for more than three years. Robert Pecora, 26, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for the heinous crime and for criminal contempt of court.

According to court records, Pecora traveled from New Hampshire to Kittery on September 21, 2013, on a bicycle and presented a piece of paper believed to be a prescription at the Rite-Aid pharmacy counter on Shapleigh Road. The brazen thief then displayed a knife and pointed it at a pharmacy employee, demanding Oxycontin. When the medicine safe was opened, Pecora instead demanded Percocet and was given 300 pills.

Pecora then immediately entered the pharmacy bathroom where responding Kittery Police patrol officers located him. He had a light blue powdery residue on his upper lip and confessed to the robbery, was arrested and taken from the store in handcuffs. Pecora’s crime spree didn’t end there, however.

Following his arrest, Pecora was released on bail conditions in February 2014, which required him to remain at an addiction recovery center in Dover, New Hampshire. The conditions of release also prohibited him from possessing a firearm. But Pecora had other plans.

On March 20, 2014, Pecora left the addiction recovery center without permission and later that same night committed a burglary of a residence in Greenland, New Hampshire, during which he stole three firearms, $1,000 in cash and a motor vehicle. Pecora remained at large until arrested by authorities in Keene, New Hampshire, on March 25, 2014. The three stolen firearms have yet to be recovered.

The investigation was conducted by the Kittery Police Department, the Greenland and Keene (New Hampshire) Police Departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Now, Pecora will be on federal supervised release for three years following his incarceration. The brazen thief’s crimes have earned him a spot behind bars, and it’s a stark reminder of the dangers that lurk in our communities.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, led by Assistant United States Attorney Darcie N. McElwee, has vowed to continue to crack down on violent crimes in our region.

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