FORT WAYNE – A Fort Wayne couple were arrested in the city in connection with a Columbia City drugstore robbery last week, according to court documents.
Troy Fritz, 29, was wanted on charges of armed robbery at a Walgreens in Columbia City where Fentanyl patches were stolen, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Allen Superior Court.
Police found Fritz and his wife, Nichole D. Fritz, 28, in a Fort Wayne hotel room Feb. 8. Police found 15 Fentanyl patches in a shirt pocket and the underwear of Nichole Fritz, according to court documents. She was charged Tuesday with possession of a controlled substance.
Fentanyl is similar to heroin in its effects but has the potential to be much more potent, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's website.
Although Allen Superior Court documents said Troy Fritz was wanted for armed robbery, Columbia City police would not confirm he is a suspect in the robbery. Columbia City police forwarded information about the robbery to the Whitley County Prosecutor's Office but would not release further information.
Troy Fritz was being held without bail on a probation violation, according to a confinement officer at the Allen County Lockup. Nichole Fritz was being held in lieu of $2,500 bail.
About 3:30 p.m. Feb. 8, a man entered the drugstore at 535 N. Line St. in Columbia City. He passed a note demanding the drugs. He was wearing a black hat with yellow lettering, blue jeans and a black jacket.
Troy Fritz was sentenced in July in Allen Superior Court to four years' probation and ordered to pay nearly $100,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to receiving stolen property when he posted stolen carbon-fiber Corvette hoods for sale on eBay. He also was convicted of corrupt business influence, admitting he wrote bad checks to Indiana Auto Auction for the purchase of three motorcycles and a car.
