BRISTOL, Vt. -
"It's a really quiet neighborhood. We know all our neighbors," said Michelle Steele of Bristol.
Steele has lived on Maple Street for three years. She says it's the last place you'd expect an armed robbery.
"Some fentanyl patches were taken, some oxycodone, hydromorphone; some pretty good pain meds," Bristol Police Chief Kevin Gibbs said.
Gibbs says around 10 p.m. Wednesday, two men wearing ski masks and armed with tire irons jumped a Living Well Home Care employee as she was leaving work. They forced her back inside the elder care facility and demanded drugs. The 15-bed facility is nestled between homes, making some neighbors nervous they're living next to a target.
"It's definitely a little scary thinking about what happened last night," Steele said.
Police say the employee was not hurt and hit the facility's alarm system panic button as soon as the suspects took off with an assortment of pain meds. Less than eight hours later, Timothy Boardman, 42, and Alec Morse, 20, both of Monkton, were in police custody.
From the outside you can't tell that Living Well is an elder care facility, but police say one of the suspects may have had inside knowledge. They say Timothy Boardman's girlfriend used to work there. And the employee he allegedly tried to rob recognized him immediately.
Police say Boardman is a known heroin addict and dealer. As soon as the pair was arrested, they say Morse turned on Boardman.
"One of the two individuals actually gave a detailed statement on what they had done. They pre-planned this," Gibbs said.
And this isn't the first time Living Well has been hit. Last year a similar robbery took place. Those suspects have never been caught. Living Well administrators declined an on camera interview but issued this statement: "Increased security measures that were introduced almost a year ago were effective in limiting the scope of the incident and bringing authorities to the scene at a much quicker pace."
"So places like that, once they become known, become a target," Gibbs said.
Police are now working with Living Well to make their facility safer by suggesting new security measures and increasing police presence during shift changes. But Steele remains concerned about the crime's emotional toll on her elderly neighbors.
"Knowing that someone is coming into their space looking for their medications... I mean, I really feel for them," she said. "It's got to be a scary thing to go through."
The Commissioner of the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living says these types of robberies are sporadic. She says as security gets tighter at pharmacies, the criminals are targeting these less secure residential sites. Her staff is now reviewing possible regulatory changes to help make these sites safer.
Alec Morse
Timothy Boardman
Michelle Steele
Chief Kevin Gibbs
