WASHBURN COUNTY -- The Court has sentenced a woman on her charges of stealing prescriptions, including narcotics, from the Shell Lake Pharmacy while she was employed there.
DrydenWire.com reported in March 2019 that Paula Anderson, of Rice Lake, WI, was facing criminal charges following an investigation into reported thefts at the Shell Lake Pharmacy.
A criminal complaint filed against Anderson states that over the course of several months in 2018 the employees and owners of the Shell Lake Pharmacy began to notice items missing from the pharmacy and cash register shortages along with suspected thefts from employees’ personal bags. This led to the placement of surveillance cameras which captured footage showing Anderson, while on duty as an employee, taking prescription pain pills from the pharmacy and placing them in her purse.
The criminal complaint goes on to state that Anderson falsified pharmacy records to conceal thefts of prescription pain medication: filling fake prescriptions, and reversing prescription records to conceal non-delivery of filled prescriptions which Anderson allegedly stole instead of delivering them to their intended recipient.
In addition, other employees of the pharmacy allegedly saw Anderson taking non-prescription items from the pharmacy without paying for them. The pharmacy estimates losses of several thousand dollars due to the alleged thefts.
Anderson admitted to taking items from the pharmacy without permission including 15 pills identified as Schedule II narcotics which an Officer found inside Anderson’s purse.
Charges of Class H Felony Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud, Class I Felony Possession of Narcotic Drugs, Class I Felony Retail Theft - Intentionally Transfer (>$500-$5,000), and Misdemeanor Theft were filed against Anderson.
At a recent hearing, Anderson entered pleas of no contest and was sentenced to 2 years of probation on convictions of Misdemeanor Theft-Business Setting <=$2500; Misdemeanor Retail Theft - Intentionally Transfer (<=$500) (amended from a felony charge); and Misdemeanor Possess/Illegally Obtained Prescription (amended from a Felony charge).
The Court also accepted a 3-year deferred sentence agreement for Anderson’s charge of Felony Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud. Details of the requirements of the deferred agreement were not listed in online circuit court records, but conditions of probation prohibit Anderson from possessing or consuming any controlled substances and require her to comply with any conditions imposed by the Department Of Corrections.
Last Update: Sep 18, 2020 5:26 am CDT
