Police: Woman Had Gun, Tried to Steal Pain Killers

A woman brandishing a handgun attempted to rob a Rite Aid in Putnam Plaza of pain killers Thursday night, police told Patch.

Yekaterina Dankova, a 27-year-old Kent resident, is accused of threatening pharmacy workers at 9 p.m. in the Carmel business.

"The pharmacy staff crouched down behind the counter to avoid being shot and the female suspect fled the store," Carmel Police wrote in a press release. "She was observed by several witnesses entering a grey Volkswagen with California plates and fleeing the shopping center in a westerly direction on Rt. 6."

Local authorities, along with State Police and the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, canvassed the area shortly after the incident, consequently spotting the vehicle in a parking lot.

"Witnesses who observed the attempted robbery were transported to the scene and identified the female as being the person who committed the attempted robbery," police said.

Dankova has been charged with attempted robbery in the first degree, two counts of menacing in the second degree and possession of a weapon in the fourth.

Police were not able to immediately locate the handgun, they said, and later found it stashed under rocks by a Dunkin Donuts drive-thru window nearby.

Dankova was arraigned by Town Justice Tom Jacobellis and transported to the Putnam County Jail with bail set at $100,000.

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Residents with questions or inquiries can contact Chief Michael Johnson at 845-628-1300.