A Murrysville man was arrested for allegedly selling prescription pain pills out of the drive-thru window of his Monroeville business.
Monroeville police say officers from their department and federal DEA agents observed Brian Schlagel, 45, owner of Philly Pretzel Factory on William Penn Highway, buy and sell pills out of his business and home over the course of several months.
Schlagel was taken into custody Thursday in the Spitzer Toyota of Monroeville parking lot, where police say he purchased 240 pain pills for approximately $14,000.
He is facing charges including possession with intent to deliver and tampering with evidence.
The Philly Pretzel Factory location in Ross Township said on social media they are not affiliated with the Monroeville store, nor are the Bridgeville and Cranberry locations.
On Nov. 21, the Philly Pretzel corporate office sent us the following statement:
“As a result of the alleged illegal behavior and arrest of one of our franchisees, Philly Pretzel Factory is terminating its franchise relationship with Mr. Schlagel.
His alleged acts are in direct violation of our franchise agreement. Mr. Schlagel independently owns and operates the Monroeville location, and his franchise rights to own and operate any Philly Pretzel Factory stores have been terminated. A transition plan for the ownership and operations of this location is currently in process.
Please know we do not condone this type of behavior and pride ourselves on providing a safe environment for all our customers and team members.
We remain shocked by this individual’s alleged behavior, stand by our zero-tolerance policy, and want to extend our deepest apologies to everyone impacted. We are fully cooperating with the local police department to assist in any way possible as they investigate this matter.”
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