Two Surry County residents have been apprehended in connection with the armed robbery of a Mount Airy pharmacy last November, according to city police.

The arrests of Leonard Ivan Conner Jr., 45, of 108 Chimney Rock Lane, Mount Airy, and his girlfriend, Andrea Renee Freeman, 34, of the same address, were announced Wednesday.

Conner is accused in an incident in which a gun-wielding man in a cowboy hat robbed Gates Pharmacy of a large amount of OxyContin on Nov. 3.

“It’s great to finally bring charges against someone that committed an act of violence against the citizens of Mount Airy,” Det. P.M. Barker of the Mount Airy Police Department said of a case that appeared to have reached a dead end last fall.

However, through a combination “of tips and other investigative work by the detectives,” the trail led to Conner, Barker said.

Conner is charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and is being held in the Surry County Jail under a $200,000 secured bond. When arrested for the robbery, Conner also was served with an outstanding warrant for allegedly failing to appear in court on a traffic violation in 2009. A $300 cash bond was set in that case.

His girlfriend, meanwhile, is charged with being an accessory after the fact to robbery with a dangerous weapon. A $10,000 unsecured bond was set for Freeman.

Both suspects are scheduled to appear in Surry District Court on July 28.

Since Conner’s home is in the county, members of the Surry Sheriff’s Office assisted in taking him into custody and searching the residence, which led to “items of evidence” being located, police say.

Conner is said to have entered Gates Pharmacy at 363 N. South St. on the afternoon of Nov. 3, displayed a handgun and demanded drugs, according to previous reports.

OxyContin tablets valued at $2,209 were taken during the robbery, which resulted in no injuries to store personnel. OxyContin is a type of painkiller that is frequently abused.

The alleged robber fled on foot and remained at large until his recent arrest.

A Connecticut company that operates a clearinghouse aimed at solving drugstore robberies, burglaries and larcenies that involve the theft of controlled substances had offered a $1,000 reward for information about the Mount Airy incident.

The reward was channeled through Mount Airy-Surry County Crimestoppers, but it was unclear Wednesday if anyone who might have supplied tangible information regarding Conner’s and Freeman’s involvement will be paid.

“I don’t know that at this time,” Barker said.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.