Six arrested for prescription drug crime in Poplar Bluff last week

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Six area residents were charged Monday with drug-related felonies by Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Barbour.

Nelta Ann Francis, 59, of the 1500 block of Cross St., her 38-year-old son, Danny Lee Killian of the 800 block of N. 12th St., and her boyfriend, Gary A. Webb, 64, of the 200 block of Rugby Lane, were each charged with the Class B felony of distribution of a controlled substance.

The complaints on file with the court allege on Friday Francis and Webb each distributed 100 Hydrocodone to a confidential informant, while Killian allegedly distributed 130 Oxycodone to an informant on the same date.

Francis also is charged with the Class B felony of sale of a controlled substance. She is accused of selling Hydrocodone to an informant on Aug. 21.

Detective Corey Mitchell said Francis, Killian and Webb all receive government assistance and get their medications at the "taxpayers' expense. They've been selling [their medications] to supplement their incomes."

When Webb, according to Detective Jason Morgan, got 130 Hydrocodone pills filled, it cost him 52 cents.

"Then, he turned around and sold them for $300; he made $299.48 profit," Morgan said.

Within a "matter of three hours," Mitchell added.

Francis, Morgan said, paid $1.52 for her prescription and also allegedly sold the pills for $3 each.

Morgan said some are using the pills for currency.

An example, Mitchell said, is 10 pills being used to pay for a ride to the doctor's office.

Oftentimes, he and Morgan said, individuals will be waiting on the parking lot to buy the pills when the person leaves his or her doctor's office with them.

In addition to the alleged sale of prescription medications, officers also are seeing individuals alter their prescriptions, as well as an increasing number of lost/stolen drug reports.

Rebecca A. Howard, 21, of Van Buren and Gregory Shepard, 48, of the 600 block of Vine Street were charged with the Class D felony of fraudulently attempting to obtain Hydrocodone.

The complaints on file with the court allege on Thursday Howard and Shepard attempted to obtain Hydrocodone and did so by the altering of a prescription "by altering prescription amount from 30 pills to 80 pills ... "

Jeremy Michael Vollet, 21, of Doniphan also was charged with the Class D felony of fraudulently attempting to obtain Lortab and Xanax.

The complaint on file with the court alleges on Tuesday Vollet attempted to obtain Lortab and Xanax and did so by the alteration of a prescription "by altering the prescription issuance date from Sept. 9, 2008, to Sept. 8, 2008, and to be filled on or after date was changed from Sept. 23 2008 to Sept. 27, 2008."

These individuals, Mitchell said, allegedly are altering their prescriptions to get more to use/abuse or to sell.

The officers are targeting the illicit use of prescription drugs for several reasons, including the fact there have been 64 confirmed deaths as a "direct result of mixed drug intoxicated" to date since 1999 Butler County, Morgan said.

"We are going to be targeting not only people who falsify prescriptions, but also the illegal sales of prescription meds," Morgan said. "Our goal is to protect our youth from these prescriptions meds that lead to addiction and death."

Police Chief Danny Whiteley agreed.

"First and foremost, these prescription [drugs] are fraudulently getting into the hands of our kids," Whiteley said. "We're had a huge increase in kids starting to use prescription drugs."

Whiteley described the prescription medications as a "gateway" for children to start using "stronger" drugs in the future.

"They think it's safe; I won't get killed because it's a prescription," Mitchell said.

As part of their investigations, Morgan said, they have been working with the Division of Legal and Social Services, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and with the diversion unit of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

"We're trying to set up some meetings with doctors and pharmacists to arrive at a workable solution to this problem," Whiteley said. "The people who legitimately need [the medications] we want to have it.

"It's the people who are taking advantage of the system that we are targeting."

Whiteley said he also has spoken with a representative for U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway to see if there are any remedies through the U.S. Attorney's Office to help identify and target this problem.

Whiteley believes officers are at the same point with "prescription diversion" as they were with methamphetamine.

"We're at an epidemic proportion just like we were with meth a few years ago," Whiteley said. "We've got numerous people in the medical field, doctors and pharmacists, who are on board with us trying to get the scheduled drugs to the people who need them and away from the people who are using them illicitly."

According to Morgan, officers are paying "close attention" to the reports coming into the department relating to prescription drugs.

The number of lost or stolen prescription medication reports, he said, is at more than 75 for the year.

"Ninety percent of the complaints coming in here are false," Mitchell said.

Morgan agreed. "They'll take the [police] report to the doctor; Medicaid will fill it one time," so the refill comes out of the person's pocket, he said. "If [the report is] found to be fraud, the people will be arrested," he said.

According to Mitchell, it is the responsibility of the "recipient who gets these scheduled drugs to secure them and maintain them somewhere so they are not being allegedly stolen."