Davon L. Whalen, 25, of Waldorf, Md., was arrested Wednesday on two felony counts of deception to obtain a dangerous drug.
Officers of the Bellefontaine Police Department were called to Kroger Pharmacy, 2129 S. Main St., shortly after 8:15 a.m. Pharmacy staff reported Whalen was waiting to pick up a prescription faxed Monday from allegedly from a Grove City medical facility.
However, the fax phone number was from area code 325 which encompasses the Abilene and San Angelo areas of Texas.
Similar prescriptions were sent to other city pharmacies in the past few months and the pharmacy staff were on alert for suspects attempting to pick up the prescriptions.
While the pharmacist called police, a technician told Whalen she was having trouble finding the prescription to stall for time. Officers entered the store as Whalen was attempting to leave. He was detained in handcuffs as officers investigated further.
They found a Dayton woman and a Stone Mountain, Ga., man in a rented sport utility van in the parking lot. Both acknowledged they were with Whalen but disavowed any knowledge of fake prescriptions.
Whalen claimed he was merely at the store to purchase a decongestant. Officers learned he had been at Rite Aid, 230 S. Main St., earlier in an attempt to pick up a prescription. He was thwarted as the pharmacy had yet to open.
The rental company instructed officers to impound the SUV as none of the trio were on the rental agreement. An inventory search recovered narcotic pain pills similar to the fake prescription called into the area pharmacies.
Whalen was lodged in the Logan County Jail while the other two were released without charges.
• Robert Joseph Grimes, 37, of 101 N. Elm St., was arrested at 6:10 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant for failure to appear. He was spotted standing outside his residence.
Floor mats stolen as owner cleans car
Carlos E. Salgado of Bellefontaine reported Tuesday two floor mats from his car were stolen as he vacuumed out the vehicle while at Magic Tunnel Car Wash, 1601 S. Main St.
He said he laid the mats out to dry on a sidewalk but the mats were gone when he finished vacuuming the car’s interior.
Officers have asked to review surveillance footage from the business.