Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
BOURBON - Six months of investigation resulted in the arrest Tuesday of the owner/pharmacist of Bourbon Pharmacy.
Robert S. Hill, 56, of 17142 River Ridge Road, Tippecanoe, was taken into custody at the 101 S. Main St. business Tuesday evening. He is charged with eight Class B felonies, eight Class C felonies and six Class D felonies of dealing in a controlled substance. He is being held in the Marshall County Jail on $50,000 bond.
If convicted of the charges filed in Marshall Superior Court 1, Hill could receive a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a fine up to $10,000.
The investigation into Hill's alleged illegal activities was conducted by the Indiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations Drug Diversion Unit and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
During the investigation, according to an ISP press release, undercover officers purchased stock pharmaceutical bottles of Vicodin and Soma and unlabeled prescription vials of Xanax and Valium from Hill without prescriptions.
Master Detective Rusty Snyder of the ISP said police were tipped off to the alleged illegal drug sales by an informant who said that people were purchasing drugs at the pharmacy without prescriptions.
When word of the arrest began circulating around town, there was a feeling of "total disbelief," according to Bourbon clerk-treasurer Jackie Murphy. "People just can't believe it," Murphy said. "People are shocked ... they don't understand."
Hill owned Bourbon Pharmacy since 1991 and the business is the only pharmacy in town. In connection with Hill's arrest, he surrendered his DEA number to authorities and all controlled substances were removed from the pharmacy. Action on Hill's license by the attorney general is expected as well, Snyder said.
Without a DEA number, Hill cannot dispense controlled substances, but can continue to fill prescriptions for antibiotics, blood pressure medication and other noncontrolled drugs.
Snyder said Hill wasn't necessarily selling the controlled substances to many people, but large numbers were being sold to certain individuals. The investigation into those who were purchasing from Hill continues.
"Prescription drug abusers are unique people," Snyder said. "They sell to people they know and they take care of each other."
The problem with the drugs that Hill was allegedly selling, Snyder said, is that Vicodin is the number one choice among illicit drugs purchased for street use and that "a lot of them end up in schools."
