Crime & Safety
Woman Charged with Forging Prescription for Painkiller
The following information is contained in court documents. Arrests do not indicate a conviction.
Kersten Miller lives in Upper Saucon Township, but pharmacist Richard Reed recognized her as a regular customer at Young’s Pharmacy in Bethlehem Township.
Miller came in on the afternoon of Nov. 12 to fill a prescription for the painkiller Vicodin. It had been filled out by an orthopaedic surgeon with an office near Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest.
The prescription looked fine, except for the number of pills requested – 140. It looked as if someone added a “1” before the “40.”
Reed called police, and that led to Miller, 24, being charged with forgery and controlled substance by fraud, deceit.
Bethlehem Township Patrolman Bryan Tollinger said in a criminal complaint that the prescription for Vicodin came from Dr. Thomas Dibenedetto of VSAS Orthopaedics, 1250 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., Salisbury Township.
Miller was still in Young’s at 3708 Freemansburg Ave. when police arrived around 4:20 p.m. She was taken into custody and transported to the police station, where she denied altering the prescription. She said she got it the day before and never checked the amount of pills until she handed it to the Young’s pharmacist.
Another township officer contacted Dibenedetto on Nov. 14. The doctor said the prescription was for 40 pills, not 140.
Miller, of 4374 Fieldstone Court, was arraigned Wednesday night by on-duty District Judge Richard Yetter of Wilson and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $7,500 bail.
