Police say Idaho Falls vet tech confessed to stealing medication
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IDAHO FALLS — Police say an Idaho Falls woman stole medication from a veterinary clinic and lied about it to authorities.
In October, the owner/veterinarian of Northgate Animal Hospital called the Idaho Falls Police Department after noticing a controlled substance called Dorolex, a synthetic pain killer, missing from his inventory. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, veterinary technician Lauren B. Tasner admitted to taking the drugs.
During their investigation, police determined that Tasner was the one who signed off on the inventory of drugs the day before. At first, Tasner denied taking the medications saying she must have misplaced them. When pushed further, Tasner said she took the Dorolex but would not say where it went, wanting to know how much trouble she was in.
“If we could find it, am I not in trouble?” Tasner asked, according to a police report.
Tasner went on to say that the medication was at her house and she took the medication because “her husband had been threatening her and is trying to take her down,” according to court documents. Tasner went on to say that her husband would destroy the house if she did not take the medication. Tasner also said that in the past, her husband stole a sharps container at the clinic to “blackmail” her.
During the interview with the vet tech, the veterinarian discovered a black bag with drugs outside the clinic. He told police, and officers located a makeup bag with “my little bag of tricks” stamped on it. Inside, police found a stolen vial of Dorolex, three vials of diazepam, a sterile water vial, syringes and a tourniquet.
Police walked back to Tasner to talk with her, who said she had forgotten her husband told her he dropped off the bag and told her over a text message. Tasner said she had only thought of it now after police confronted her about the bag. Investigators say they could not find any text on Tasner’s phone from her husband.
The veterinarian sent her home for the day, and the police gave her a ride to the residence.
Officers continued to investigate, sending the vials to the Idaho State Police lab and allowing the vet office to see how much medication is missing. In November, police were called by an accountant for the office who said $18,200 worth of medications were missing from Northgate Animal Hospital.
Shortly after, Bonneville County prosecutors charged Tasner with felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and petit theft. Tasner was issued a summons to appear in court and was not arrested. She made her initial appearance on Monday.
Although Tasner is charged with crimes, it does not necessarily mean she committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
A preliminary hearing for Tasner is scheduled for Dec. 23 at the Bonneville County Courthouse.