74 year old man accused of falsifying prescriptions
 

On Monday, deputies charged Robert P. Hennelly, 74, with first-degree falsifying business records, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

The charges conclude a 2½ month investigation, deputies said.

Hennelly, from Mohawk, allegedly presented several photocopied prescriptions for Lortab to the P&C Pharmacy in the Hartwick Commons center between April 2003 and this April, deputies said.

Deputies charged Hennelly with falsifying business records, because every time he passed a photocopied prescription, a false entry in the pharmacy’s business records was created.

The P&C Pharmacy supervising pharmacist was suspicious of a prescription Hennelly gave him in April and discovered it had been photocopied. Deputies said the pharmacist then contacted the sheriff’s office and requested an investigation.

An audit of Hennelly’s prescriptions at the pharmacy determined three other Lortab prescriptions were photocopies, deputies said.

Hennelly received many filled prescriptions of Lortab until he was caught, deputies said.

Lortab is the brand name for the narcotic combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen. It is part of the same class of drugs as Vicodin.

Deputies said Hennelly turned himself in to the sheriff’s office and was arraigned in Hartwick Town Court on Monday, and then released.