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Whittier man faces charges in attempted pharmacy break-in
By Carey Phillips
A Whittier man has been charged in connection with attempting to break in to Eastgate Pharmacy and with pointing a gun at a Sylva police officer.
Kenneth Stuart Chodak, 33, of Kitty Hawk Road is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, possession of burglary tools, possession of a firearm by a felon, attempted breaking and entering, resisting a public officer, injury to real property and discharging a firearm in the city limits.
He is also charged with two counts of obtaining prescriptions by fraud from a previous investigation.
Bond was initially set at $16,000 but has since been reduced to $9,000. He remained in custody Tuesday afternoon.
The incident began around 9 p.m. Sunday when Officer Jason Owen was on routine patrol and was sitting in his vehicle doing paperwork at WestCare Medical Park, according to Sgt. John Buchanan, police detective. Owen heard some loud bangs from the vicinity of Eastgate Pharmacy and went to investigate.
Owen reported seeing someone in dark clothing pull out a handgun and shoot glass out at the pharmacy several times, Buchanan said. Owen ordered the man to stop, but the suspect ran around the side of the building where he tripped and fell.
With Owen still in his patrol car, the man pointed the gun at the officer and made a motion as if he was pulling the trigger, Buchanan said.
“We don’t know why the gun didn’t fire,” he said.
The suspect ran from the scene and got away.
Through the course of the investigation, officers from the Police Department and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office identified Chodak as a suspect, Buchanan said.
He was taken into custody without resistance around 10 p.m. Monday during a felony traffic stop near his home, Buchanan said. The Sheriff’s Emergency Tactical team was at the scene on stand-by due to the aggressiveness Chodak showed against Owen, Buchanan said.
During Sunday’s search, Harris Regional Hospital was placed on lock down, Buchanan said. No one was allowed to enter or leave except at the Emergency Room where a security guard was stationed, according to Buchanan.
The detective expressed appreciation to the Sheriff’s Office and Jackson County Rescue Squad for their assistance. The Rescue Squad provided lights and a tracking dog during the search.
Chodak, who has lived in the area about five years, has a lengthy criminal record in Florida but nothing to indicate any aggressiveness toward officers, Buchanan said.
“I’m real proud of the job Sgt. Buchanan and Officer (Aimee) Sumner did expediting this case to a successful conclusion,” Police Chief Jeff Jamison said.
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