San Francisco police officer appears in court in Rite Aid robbery case

A San Francisco police officer accused of robbing a Rite Aid pharmacy on Concar Drive in San Mateo appeared by video for his court appearance Thursday for initial felony arraignment and pleaded not guilty, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office said.

Davin Cole, 56, a sergeant with the San Francisco Police Department and a San Mateo resident, is accused of walking into the Rite Aid Nov. 3 and stealing 11 bottles of Norco valued at around $919. Cole allegedly walked up to a pharmacy tech and handed them a note stating he had a gun and to give him the drugs and not call the police, prosecutors said. The tech alerted other employees of the robbery, who then called the police. Cole never showed or brandished a gun, prosecutors said. When police arrived, Cole refused to stop and ran, with officers eventually stopping him after warning he would be tased, prosecutors said. Cole had a small, unregistered handgun in his waistband along with the Norco bottles and the robbery note, prosecutors said. Cole said he has been a painkiller addict for a decade, prosecutors said.