Summary: A New Mexico woman on probation for forgery tried to pass off a prescription for methamphetamine.
A New Mexico woman was really stretching in her hope to have a prescription for methamphetamine. The woman, Ginger Sharpe, was already on probation for a forgery conviction when she failed the drug test. According to The Smoking Gun, the 34-year-old tried to claim she had a prescription for methamphetamine from a doctor.
Sharpe was placed on probation last year following her conviction for forgery. Part of the sentence required periodic drug testing, according to the Metropolitan Court in Albuquerque. When she failed the drug test, she claimed a doctor had prescribed her meth and that she even had the prescription to prove it.
The criminal complaint states that Sharpe was placed in handcuffs when her test results came back positive. She was detained for violating her probation but she claimed to Probation Officer Robert Vigil that she had a legal prescription for the drug. She told Vigil to look in her bag for a prescription bottle.
Officer Vigil found a bottle with a label prescribed to Sharpe for “Methamphetamine 5mg Tablets.” Vigil thought the label seemed a little off since there was “zero gloss” and the print was fuzzy. Since she had the pill bottle, Vigil released Sharpe but kept the bottle and its contents for further examination.
Vigil looked into the prescription and determined that Sharpe “was not prescribed the suspected fraudulent prescription.” The doctor listed on the bottle, Dr. Paul Mikkelson laughed about the prescription when an investigator contacted him. Dr. Mikkelson said, “I have never prescribed methamphetamine.”
Dr. Mikkelson has treated Sharpe before. She saw him during a visit to the emergency room where he prescribed her Hydrocodone, Ibuprofen, and Promethazine for nausea.
With the facts, investigators went back to Sharpe to see if she wanted to change her story. She allegedly confessed to fraud, saying a friend “made the prescription for her.” She was told by the friend that the prescription would fool the probation officer, which Sharpe probably thought had.
Methamphetamine is a schedule II drug. The drug can be prescribed as Desoxyn or Methamphetamine Hydrochloride tablets. Occasionally, the drug will be used to treat ADHD and severe obesity, but doctors tend to use it as a last resort because of the severe risk of abuse.
Sharpe was charged with forgery and identity theft for using Dr. Mikkelson’s name, which are both felony charges. Sharpe’s previous convictions are for theft, trespass, and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Do you think methamphetamine should be used for medical purposes despite its high risk of abuse? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
To learn more about other stories involving methamphetamine, read these articles:
- IRS Attorney Arrested for Selling Meth
- Drug Field Kit False Positive Sends Man to Jail for Possession of Donut Glaze
- Pittsburgh Attorney Kevin Abramovitz Accused of Covering Up Friend’s Overdose
Photo: abuse-drug.com