Fake opioid prescription with 'copy' printed all over it filled 4 times by Decatur pharmacies

Jun. 27—A local pharmacist says it's usually easy to spot a forged prescription, but according to police a Decatur woman successfully received drugs from pharmacies despite the fact that her opioid prescription had the word "copy" printed all over it.

Grace Kaylan Whitten, 23, allegedly presented the forged opioid prescription on six occasions to several Decatur pharmacies. She successfully received drugs four times, according to a Decatur police affidavit, but she was ultimately arrested and charged with forgery and drug offenses.

Whitten was investigated by DPD's Vice/Narcotics Unit, which determined she tried to pass off the fake prescription between May 5 and May 9, according to the affidavit. She was arrested in the 1900 block of South Brownstone Court Southwest on June 13.

Robert Andrew Brown, 23, was later "discovered to be assisting in the operation," according to a DPD statement, and was arrested Monday in the 2100 block of Westmead Drive Southwest.

Whitten is charged with two counts of first-degree possession of a forged instrument, six counts of fourth-degree possession of a forged instrument, four counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and two counts of attempt to commit a controlled substance crime, according to DPD.

Records show Whitten remained in Morgan County Jail on Wednesday in lieu of a $161,500 bond.

Brown is charged with two counts of first-degree possession of a forged instrument, two counts of intent to distribute a controlled substance, and attempt to commit a controlled substance crime, according to DPD.

Records show Brown remained in Morgan County Jail on Wednesday in lieu of an $85,000 bond.

During their May investigation, police said Whitten was positively identified through video surveillance, witness statements and her driver's license.

Investigators "determined that the script was forged due to multiple reasons described as: it being photocopied of the original script that had been prescribed and filled at a local pharmacy, the paper used to print the script on was not consistent with normal paper used at the hospital, the words 'COPY' printed all over the script being visible," according to the affidavit. It does not specify which pharmacies Whitten visited.

David Duncan, a 44-year pharmacist and owner of Westmeade Pharmacy, explained how pharmacists typically spot a fake prescription.

"For the most part, probably 80% of our prescriptions are sent in electronically," he said, "which means the patient doesn't bring them in, and it is very difficult to forge one."

Duncan said he's only witnessed one person try to submit a forged electronic prescription in his career and it "didn't end well" for them.

"But for the ones that are written by a doctor, we know the handwriting," he said. "We know if something is out of place, if it's not written like a normal prescription would be. A layperson just doesn't grasp how a prescription is really written. I mean, you could look at one and maybe copy it, but there are things on there and the way it's written — we can tell.

"We've seen a million prescriptions, so forged prescriptions stand out like a sore thumb. It could be quantity is more than normal, it could be an unusual dose that is written, it could be any number of things."

Duncan said pharmacists also look at the person attempting to fill a prescription.

"Is it a regular patient?" he said. "Is it somebody that tried to just come off the street, and you've never seen them before, and they give you a controlled substance prescription? There are all kinds of things that bring about red flags for people."

When there are red flags, Duncan said he calls the prescribing physician to confirm that the prescription is legitimate. If it's not, he calls the police.

"I normally stall the person," he said. "I let them hang around and I either call the police or have one of my staff call the police and tell them we have a forged prescription. And the police usually get here pretty quick.

"In my younger days, we caught a bunch of people. Nowadays, we don't see near as much. Thank goodness."

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.