Charges were filed against a hospital pharmacy technician in Clearfield County over the disappearance of oxycodone tablets from the pharmacy where the technician worked. The charges comprise nine counts each of felony acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, misdemeanor intentional possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor procuring a drug by fraud.
Detection came from the paper trail rather than an automated alert. A pharmacist noticed that correction fluid had been used to alter the narcotic count on the pharmacy's written inventory. A closer review found repeated instances where oxycodone counts entered into the inventory and computer system did not match what had been ordered from the distributor, and the invoices for those orders were missing from pharmacy records.
According to the affidavit, on nine occasions during January, February and March the technician received the drug order and recorded a lower quantity than appeared on the invoices forwarded to the billing department, with 2,100 tablets unaccounted for in total. A drug test in March returned positive results for several substances including opiates and oxycodone.
In an interview with the investigating agent, the technician reportedly said the pills had been sold for $10 per tablet to a buyer in a nearby borough. The report notes a scheduled preliminary hearing and no further disposition; the allegations had not been adjudicated.