Larry Steven Patton, defunct pharmacist
U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS---The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Larry Steven Patton, 64, of Marion, Illinois, was sentenced today, on a charge of Illegal Dispensation of a Controlled Substance.
The United States District Court in Benton sentenced Patton to probation for three years, a fine of $3,000, and a special assessment of $100. The court also ordered Patton to perform 25 hours of public service.
Court records indicate that at relevant times, Patton was an owner and a pharmacist of Medicap Pharmacy in Saline County, Harrisburg, Illinois. As a licensed pharmacist, Patton was a registrant authorized to dispense controlled substances. Patton admitted to knowingly and intentionally dispensing unlawfully four pills, each having two milligrams of Xanax, a Schedule IV controlled substance to another person requesting the medication, on July 12, 2012, at the Medicap Pharmacy in Harrisburg. Patton admitted that this dispensation was outside the scope of his professional practice and not for a medical purpose under a valid prescription.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Illinois State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Liam Coonan.
DISCLOSURE Note: We've been covering Patton's case for two and a half years now. We will be putting up more links and examining the story more closely in the coming days and in the next print edition, April 15, 2015. Be sure your subscriptions are up to date.