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October 22, 2005

Enid man facing more drug charges

By Cass Rains Staff Writer



An Enid man was charged with obtaining a controlled dangerous substance by fraud Friday and faces two years to life in prison because of three prior convictions for similar crimes.

Stephen Dale Haslett, 58, has three prior convictions of obtaining controlled drug by fraud, which stem from an October 1995 conviction in Garfield County District Court.

According to court documents, police filed a report from Dr. Lynda Mueller on Sept. 21, who said she received a fax asking for verification of a prescription. Mueller did not issue the prescription to Haslett.

The next day, Mueller was notified of three other prescriptions had been filled for Haslett, and she said they were all forgeries, the affidavit states. The prescriptions were for Diazepam, Norco and Oxycontin.

On Oct. 6, detectives contacted Caremark Pharmacy. A pharmacy employee told police when the business receives a written prescription in the mail, it is entered into a computer system and the written portion is filed, according to court documents. A pharmacist then fills the prescription and it is packaged and mailed to the customer. The company only deals with insurance companies and does not accept cash.

The same day police contacted Haslett and asked if he wrote out prescriptions and signed Mueller's name. According to the affidavit, Haslett told police "he was not going to deny it." They asked again if he signed the doctor's name, and he said yes.

The affidavit states, Haslett told police he obtained three prescriptions and still had some of each left. Haslett also said he obtained Diazepam, Esgic and Oxycontin and that his insurance pays for the prescriptions.

Haslett told police he preferred to type a statement, rather than write a statement. He did so, and brought the typed statement and the remaining pills to the police station a day after being interviewed by police, according to court documents.

Haslett had mailed the remaining prescription forms back to Mueller's office, along with a letter of apology for "his embarrassingly poor judgment," according to court documents.

Haslett's attorney, John Kocher, requested a lower bond for his client, citing his longtime residence in Enid and never failing to appear for a bond appearance in his previous cases as reasons for a lower bond.

Special District Judge J. Bruce Harvey lowered Haslett's bond to $3,000 from the $5,000 set in the arrest warrant.

Haslett is scheduled to appear for a bond appearance Jan. 11.



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