Update: Suspect arrested in Lenoir City pharmacy robbery, attempted robbery

The man suspected of robbing a Lenoir City pharmacy after unsuccessfully trying to rob another pharmacy in west Knox County has been arrested.

Michael Bilek, 41 and of Lenoir City, was arrested without incident at a hotel on Merchants Road at I-75, Lenoir City Detective Jonathan Sartin said. Bilek was arrested around 2:30 Thursday afternoon.

Knox County authorities are holding Bilek for now, in connection to the attempted Walgreen's robbery early Wednesday afternoon.

It is unknown when he will be taken to Loudon County.

Previous: Lenoir City pharmacy robbed; may be linked to earlier robbery

The robbery of a Lenoir City pharmacy bears a strong resemblance to an earlier one in west Knox County, and investigators are looking into whether the two are linked.

Lenoir City Police Chief Don White said the East Tennessee Discount Drug on Highway 321 was robbed around 1:15 Wednesday afternoon.

The attempted robbery at the west Knox County pharmacy happened just before 1.

In the Lenoir City robbery, a white man of about age 40 walked into the drugstore and handed an employee a note demanding Oxycontin.

The robber showed a handgun in the robbery, got the drugs he demanded, then fled the store in a late 70s or early 80s model dark blue Ford pickup truck.

No one was injured in the robbery.

Customers were in the store at the time of the robbery.

Lenoir City investigators are discussing the case with Knox County Sheriff's officials, as the suspect and vehicle description are similar to an attempted robbery in west Knox County in which the suspect and vehicle descriptions matched.

That case happened less than an hour earlier. A man went through the drive-through window at the Walgreen's at 11927 Kingston Pike and handed a note to an employee, demanding Oxycontin and needles.

He threatened the employee with a revolver.

At that point, the employee left the window, and man drove off. His vehicle was described as either a dark gray or black, older model Ford pickup truck with silver tool boxes over the wheels.

He was described as a white man with a scruffy beard, dark hair, a black hat, and a tan jacket.