FALMOUTH — Police are searching for a woman wanted for robbery, attempted robbery and vehicle theft after a series of events here and in Yarmouth early in the morning on July 17.

They are also taking their bicycles out of mothballs to fight a recent spike in burglaries.

In Saturday’s events, Police said a woman first threatened a clerk with a large flashlight at the Route 1 Mobil station in Yarmouth.

“She met with clerk outside, then attempted to rob him inside. She swung at him with flashlight,” Falmouth Police Lt. John Kilbride said.

Kilbride said the clerk at the Mobil station did not report the incident to police.

“We were not aware of the attempted robbery until we had our robbery,” Kilbride said.

A woman matching the description provided later by the Yarmouth clerk then allegedly walked into the Irving Lil’ Mart on Route 1 in Falmouth at 4:30 a.m. the same morning and threatened the clerk with a tow hitch.

The woman, who was caught on a security video, demanded cash from the register, then leaned over to make sure the clerk had emptied the drawer. She threatened the clerk, saying if she did not comply, the woman would have two men in her car come in and shoot the clerk.

Then the alleged robber left the store in a black Nissan Pathfinder SUV and drove away.

The Pathfinder was found on Cumberland Avenue in Portland and police determined it had been stolen the previous evening. A K-9 was called in to track the alleged thief, but was not able to locate a scent.

The suspect remained at large on Tuesday. She is described as a white female, very thin, with black hair. She wore large sunglasses during the thefts.

Anyone with information should call Falmouth Police at 781-2300.

The increase in burglaries of businesses, as well as motor vehicle and home burglaries in several neighborhoods along Route 1, has lead police to make a change in their patrols.

Residents and businesses owners in Falmouth can expect to see more officers on the streets – not in cruisers, but on bicycles.

“We did this years ago (too),” Kilbride said, “but now we have some young officers with strong legs.”

The department already had some mountain bikes and only needed to make some small repairs to get them ready for use.

Kilbride said the bike patrols will focus on areas most frequently hit by thieves looking for “quick cash.”

“They’re constantly searching neighborhoods for opportunities,” Kilbride said of the thieves who allegedly drive through residential neighborhoods, searching for visible items in the seats of cars.

Kilbride said bicycle officers will also regularly check in with businesses that have been affected lately by an increase in burglaries.

“This is a great tool for interacting with the public and businesses,” he said.

The patrols will start in the next few weeks and will be randomly assigned – sometimes on weekend afternoons, sometimes in the middle of the night – to “keep things off balance,” Kilbride said, and to keep potential thieves from making Falmouth a target.

Emily Parkhurst can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or eparkhurst@theforecaster.net