PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (EYT) – Three men are facing charges for allegedly providing false documents to a Punxsutawney pharmacy in an attempt to obtain prescription drugs.
According to court documents, the Punxsutawney Borough Police Department filed criminal charges against the following men:
– Eric James Kyler, 39, of Clearfield, Pa.
– Brent Alan Shaffer, 32, of Olanta, Pa.
– Kurtis Bumbarger, 37, of Frenchville, Pa.
According to a criminal complaint, around 3:01 p.m. on August 8, the owner of a Punxsutawney pharmacy filed a complaint with the Punxsutawney Borough Police Station in reference to fraudulent documents that he had found in his records.
The pharmacist explained that he requires patients to show proof of an allergy to receive a secondary medication that does not contain Naloxone. He provided three documents from Penn Highlands Clearfield Hospital that showed patients had an allergy to Suboxone with Naloxone 8 mg. tablets.
According to the complaint, “All three documents were similar in appearance. Letter heading on each of the documents appeared generic and as if they were made on a home computer….the physician’s ‘signatures’ at the bottom of the documents were discovered to either not be employed by Penn Highlands or never worked at Penn Highlands Clearfield.”
The pharmacist stated that he spoke with a representative of Penn Highlands Clearfield Department of Emergency Medicine, and it was verified that the documents were not from Penn Highlands.
“The three documents received were for Eric James Kyler, Brent Alan Shaffer, and Kurtis Bumbarger. All documents are in the same format and appear to be made by the same individual. The documents appear to be forged for the purpose to request Suboxone without Naloxone,” the complaint states.
On October 8, Officer Miller, of the Punxsutawney Police Department, conducted a formal interview with Eric Kyler, who allegedly acknowledged his rights and subsequently signed a waiver, willing to answer questions, the complaint indicates.
After speaking with Kyler concerning the nature of the complaint, Kyler allegedly confessed to knowingly providing the forged document to the Punxsutawney pharmacy in an attempt to obtain Suboxone, according to the complaint.
Kyler allegedly implicated Brent Shaffer in the incidents, the complaint continues.
The complaint states that “Kyler apologized for his actions and reported to the effect that he is battling addiction.”
Multiple attempts have been made by the Punxsutawney Borough Police Department to contact Shaffer and Bumbarger to no avail, according to the complaint.
Based on the investigation, criminal complaints were filed against Kyler, Shaffer, and Bumbarger in District Judge Douglas Robert Chambers’s office.
They each face the following charges:
- Forgery – Unauthorized Act in Writing, Felony 3
- Acquire or Obtain Possession of Controlled Substance Misrepresentation, Misdemeanor
Certified summons have been sent to the suspects for preliminary hearings scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on November 17, in front of Judge Chambers.
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