By KELLY METZ
kmetz@MorningJournal.com

ELYRIA — A Wellington pharmacist was indicted for several theft and drug charges stemming from a police chase and search of his car, where several bottles of prescription drugs were found.

Kyle Higgins, 44, of Amherst, was indicted March 25 for eight counts each of theft and illegal processing of drug documents stemming from an Oct. 31 incident when South Amherst police attempted to stop his vehicle for having no front plate.

When Higgins, who works at the Rite-Aid in Wellington, saw the police, he turned around in a driveway and took off going up to 70 mph, according to a bill of particulars filed by Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Peter Gauthier.

Higgins eventually stopped at the intersection of Quarry and Russia roads, the document stated.

“(Higgins) did not turn his vehicle off as instructed so at that point, he was taken out of his vehicle and arrested,” Gauthier wrote.

“A pat down incident to arrest revealed multiple pill bottles with pulls which turned out to be Valium/Diazepam and Tylenol with Codeine. (Higgins) indicated he was a pharmacist and said the pills belonged to his deceased father.”

“When asked why he had been taking these pills, (Higgins) stated, ‘I have a cough with rub pain and stomach problems with pain ... I know that is no excuse,’” Gauthier wrote in a court document.

The prescriptions were made out to a “phantom person” named Edward Snow, who received a large number of prescriptions between Dec. 7, 2008, and Sept. 25, 2009, for Diazepam and Tylenol with Codeine.

All the prescriptions, allegedly filled by Higgins, were not paid for and totalled almost $1,000, according to court records.

“Lastly, the physician who supposedly approved/wrote all these prescriptions indicated he never had a patient named Edward Snow,” Gauthier wrote.

Higgins had his license to prescribe medicine suspended in December by the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy when it was discovered he had an addiction to Diazepam and Tylenol with Codeine, according to a letter from William Winsley, pharmacy board executive director.

On Oct. 31, Higgins allegedly had 23 doses of 10mg Valium, 10 doses of 10mg Diazepam and nine doses of Tylenol with Codeine “outside the confines of a pharmacy and not for a legitimate medical purpose.”

If found guilty, Higgins would lose his license and have to pay a fine, the letter stated.

Higgins’ family owned Higgins Pharmacy, which was located at 395 Park Ave., Amherst, before it closed in 2008.