Woman gets suspended sentence in prescription fraud case

September 30, 2009|By DAVE McMILLION

HAGERSTOWN -- A Washington County woman pleaded guilty Sept. 23 to a charge of obtaining a drug by fraud in connection with a fraudulent prescription presented at CVS/pharmacy on Dual Highway in June, according to court records.

Elizabeth Kay Hurtman, 24, was sentenced to 18 months in jail, but Washington County District Judge Dana Moylan Wright suspended the sentence, according to court records.

Hurtman, who was given three years probation, is to abstain from alcohol and abusive use of any drug, to submit to alcohol and drug testing, and to attend three self-help group meetings per week for 52 weeks, court records show.

Hurtman was charged after a pharmacist at CVS/pharmacy at 1731 Dual Highway told Hagerstown Police Officer J. Miller about a woman who tried to fill a prescription of about 90 Percocet pills, court records say.

Percocet is used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain and contains the drugs acetaminophen and oxycodone, according to www.drugs.com.

The woman would not identify herself to the pharmacist and fled the store, according to court records.

The prescription appeared to have been issued by doctor Jamal Ali and the pharmacist tried to confirm the prescription with Ali's office.

The pharmacist had a photo of the woman, and a manager from Ali's office was able to identify the woman as Hurtman, who had seen Ali, court records indicate.

The case was one of two drug fraud cases against Hurtman.

In the other case, charges were filed against Hurtman in July after an anonymous caller to Tristate Neurology Center in Hagerstown claimed a woman was filling out blank prescription forms taken from the office, according to allegations in court records. A caller also alleged Hurtman talked about selling prescriptions and bragged about it, court records indicate.

That case, in which Hurtman was charged with four counts of possessing a forged prescription, four counts of obtaining drugs by fraud and other offenses, has been forwarded to Washington County Circuit Court.

In the CVS/pharmacy case, Hurtman's address was listed as 9865 Crossfire Road in Hagerstown. In the Tristate Neurology Center case, her address was listed as B5 Washington Court in Smithsburg.

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