Published: June 13, 2009 12:28 am      

Police: Would-be burglars left tools on pharmacy roof

WINDBER — Police are hoping their description of tools used in an attempted break-in at a Windber pharmacy will strike a chord with someone who will step forward to provide information.

A pry bar with the name “Joe,” eye hooks and a green-coated chain could be the keys to the case, they said.

At a news conference Friday morning, borough police displayed the tools left behind by the would-be burglars earlier this week. They had tried to cut a hole through the roof of Shafer Pharmacy on Graham Avenue.

“They started to cut a hole through the roof of the pharmacy and had attached two eye hooks with a length of chain with green rubber coating,” said Sgt. Rick Skiles.

“They did not get through, because for whatever reason they got scared off before they were finished,” he said.

The attempted break-in most likely took place Tuesday or Wednesday night, Skiles said. The exact time is uncertain because the attempt was discovered only after pharmacy employees noticed moisture coming through the ceiling and called in a roofing company. The roofing workers found the damage and the tools.

The incident is similar to a burglary at Rite Aid two years ago, when various medications were stolen, Skiles said.

The eye hooks and chain appeared to have been recently purchased, and police hope a merchant might recall selling them. Also left on the roof was a pry bar inscribed “Joe.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Windber police at 467-8383.