SC teen arrested month after police say he robbed CVS Pharmacy in apparent wig

It took 28 days for the law to catch up with a Columbia teen accused of armed robbery while wearing an apparent wig at a Lexington drug store.

Earlier this month, Shemar Khalee Payne, 18, walked into the CVS Pharmacy on Sunset Boulevard with a pistol and a note demanding a list of prescription medications, according to Lexington police.

Surveillance footage shows Payne flashing a pistol, jumping the counter, leaving with an armful of pill bottles and running up to a white KIA Optima driven by an unknown accomplice, police say. During the incident, Payne stole several of the store employees’ cellphones before leaving. One of the phones was found near the scene and the Optima, which had been reported stolen before the robbery, was later found abandoned in Columbia.

Payne was arrested Thursday night by the Columbia Police Department during a traffic stop investigation, police say. He had five outstanding warrants for armed robbery, unlawful carry of a handgun, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and two counts of kidnapping.

The Lexington Police Department will also serve warrants on Payne for the May 2 armed robbery at CVS Pharmacy.