MADISON County –WNWS newsroom has obtained a full copy of the 52 count indictment charging former MCSD Lieutenant Jerry Elston with Obtaining Controlled Substance By Fraud
The indictment of former Madison County Sheriff’s employee sheds a little more light on the charges but still leaves more questions.
READ RELATED STORY – Elston Turns Himself In, Is Released on Bond
The indictment counts each physician visit and each pharmacy visit separately. So, 52 counts are 26 Dr visits and 26 pharmacy visits. The documents identify the dates of service but do not tell which physicians were involved in each visit. Likewise, they identify the pharmacy but do not show what quantity of prescription or the prescription strength.
Another question that has not been addressed is how, with as many as 5 visits a month in several months, the pharmacy or physician wasn’t alerted, or how drugs kept getting refilled. This occurred as often, in some instances as 3 days apart, and in some instances at the same pharmacy chain.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE GRAND JURY INDICTMENT
According to the indictment, Elston is accused of illegally obtaining the prescription pain medications hydrocodone, and codeine between January and June of 2014.
In some cases, the indictment alleges that Elston acquired prescriptions from pharmacies “by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge”. According to the indictment, in other instances, Elston is accused of obtaining prescription from a doctor while knowingly failing to disclose that he had received the same or similar drug from another practitioner within the previous 30 days.
Elston remains free on bond. Elston is expected to be in Circuit Court Division II on Monday with his attorney, Mark Donahoe.
