Pharmacists, cops team up on illegal prescription bust
By Jesse Phelps

They say crime doesn't pay. Lately, Ojai pharmacists are making sure that forged prescription crimes won't even happen. For the second time in less than two weeks, an Ojai pharmacy teamed with police detectives last Sunday to catch a person attempting to illegally take large quantities of prescription painkillers out the door.

Detective Joe Evans says that, in the wake of the last week's arrest of an Ojai woman on a similar charge, he went to Medical Arts Pharmacy to ask the workers there to keep their eyes peeled for suspicious prescription orders.

"Later that afternoon, I got a call from a manager saying, 'Joe, guess what, we have one,'" he said.

It turns out that, just a few hours after Evans' visit, a suspicious caller requested a prescription for 90 pills of Norco, a powerful 10-milligram synthetic opiate, a combination of hydrocodone with Tylenol. The prescription could be verified at the appropriate doctor's office by neither the pharmacy nor the detectives.

The following day, according to Evans and pharmacist Roger Lancaster, a woman named Julia Konrad came in to pick up the prescription, which was in a man's name. At Evans' behest, Lancaster asked that she bring in the man for whom the prescription had been written.

Evans was on the scene with detectives Mark Hara and Rick Jones providing backup.

"We followed her to another location," said Evans. According to the arrest report, Konrad entered a residence and, at that time, the pharmacy received a call from a deep-voiced caller identifying himself as the prescription holder. The caller insisted that the prescription be released to Konrad.

Evans said he suspected immediately that Konrad was making all the calls. "Because of the timing of the surveillance, I knew when she went in the house, I knew how long she'd been in there and the phone call was immediate, then she's right back out going back again. Very typical of people who need to have some kind of drug," he said.

Evans followed her back to the pharmacy, where Konrad purchased the pills. "I listened to her request the drugs, she signs for them. I take her outside, talk to her and we end up arresting her and she admits she has a significant addiction," said Evans. "She was the one who made the phone call (from the residence), she was the one who made the original phone call."

Oak View resident Konrad, 49, who by all reports was very cooperative, was booked into Ventura County Main Jail on a felony and later released on her own recognizance.

Evans said that evidence found in the suspect's vehicle suggested that she made frequent trips "up and down the coast of California, from San Diego to San Francisco" to pick up prescriptions at various pharmacies all over the state.

He also said he believed the suspect was a former doctor who had her license revoked "for an addiction issue." This could not be verified through the Medical Board of California; such records are sealed.

As in last week's arrest, said Evans, the crucial factor was the pharmacy's awareness and willingness to help. "It's very obvious as a group, we're much more successful than we are as just the police or just the pharmacist. Together we're very successful," he said.

Lancaster said his employee was the alert party. "I wasn't here but the other pharmacist was," he said. "She noticed an irregularity so she called (Evans). I came in the next day and then it was my turn to finish up with the whole thing."

He the detectives handled everything smoothly. "He told us exactly what to do, he came in and bought a soda and watched the whole thing." Then, when the suspect was out the door, the arrest was made.
Lancaster said he considers it a responsibility of his job to keep a watchful eye out for false prescriptions and he gave kudos to the police for their increased interest. "It used to be that vice and narcotics didn't want to be bothered with anything like this. But now they really want to enforce it and become a part of curtailing it," he said.

Evans said that's because there is still a significant problem with prescription drugs in Ojai. He offered himself as a resource for parents who think their kids may have a problem, saying he knows the people who can assist.

"I have enough experience in the community that I will be able to help them with what's in their best interest. Arresting isn't always in the best interest of the child," Evans said. "The community wants us to help fix this and we want to help fix it."

He said that, in the case of pharmacy collars, he's looking for the people that intend to supply the community's kids. "In the coming months, we are going to get that person," he said.

He also reinforced that he didn't believe Konrad intended to sell the drugs she'd obtained. "We believe this is just an addiction problem for her, she's not a drug dealer," said Evans. "We're hoping that the court system can step in and give her some help. It depends on the judge, of course."

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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