Dental assistant accused of forgery
A woman is accused of forging numerous prescriptions from her work.
Marla Rebecca Bright, 31, of First Broad Drive in Bostic, turned herself in to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office on May 25 after a representative with Shelby Dental Care Center reported the forgery of doctor’s signatures on prescriptions for the drug Norco, a pill mixture of acetaminophen and hydrocodone, on May 12, 2017
The discovery was made after the dental office received a call from CVS for verification on the signature, according to Shelby Police reports.
Investigators believe a total of 14 prescriptions were printed off.
Each prescription was for varying amounts of the drug, said Capt. Steve Seate.
The initial investigation showed five of the eight prescriptions were filled for people who have no patient history at the office. Investigators do not believe she was selling the medicine.
Bright has been working at the office for more than two years as a dental assistant, Seate said.
When asked about the incident, the practice sent a written response.
“In response to a recent news report about a former Shelby Dental Care Center employee, we would like to clarify our on-going policy regarding the administering of controlled substances. Our policy is one of strict adherence to state and federal guidelines, which we follow carefully. Any member of our team found not to be in compliance with these standards are relieved of their responsibilities and employment with Shelby Dental Care Center. This is now a legal matter and is being handled by the proper local and state authorities… Patient safety and privacy are of the utmost importance to us and we go to great lengths to make sure that neither are compromised,” Dr. Brenton Young and Dr. Pauline Cahill said in the statement.
She is charged with 14 counts of felony common law forgery, 14 counts of felony forging and uttering and 14 counts of felony obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.
She has bonded out of jail and is due in court June 27.
Joyce Orlando can be contacted at 704-669-3341 or find her on Twitter @Star_J_Orlando.
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