Howard charged with stealing patients’ pills

A local man is accused of stealing prescription medications from patients at Fleming County Hospital on at least 12 different occasions.

Willard Howard, 31, was indicted Friday by a Fleming County grand jury on 12 counts of theft of a controlled substance under $300, according to documents filed in Fleming Circuit Court. The indictment accuses Howard of stealing Lortab, Demerol, Ultram, Percocet and Morphine from numerous patients of the hospital.

The pill thefts are alleged to have occurred between July 2, 2008 and Sept. 27, 2008, and at least 12 different patients are identified (by initials) as victims in the indictment.

When contacted Monday by The Ledger-Independent, a representative of Fleming County Hospital was unable to confirm or dispute that Howard is a former hospital employee.

Each count on the indictment carries a possible sentence of one-to-five years in prison, so Howard could face a maximum of 60 years if convicted.

Also indicted Friday were two men accused of attacking, or attempting to attack, law enforcement officers.

Joshua Keith McKee, 36, was indicted for third-degree assault, carrying a concealed weapon and resisting arrest stemming from an alleged altercation with Fleming County Sheriff’s Deputy Bud Lyons on Nov. 26, 2008. The indictment alleges that, with “a loaded .38 caliber handgun in his back pants pocket,” McKee “attempted to strike Deputy Bud Lyons with his fist and attempted to cause physical injury” to Lyons. The resisting arrest charge accuses McKee of using force to “prevent a peace officer acting under color of his official authority from effecting an arrest.”

In a separate unrelated case, Rex Stacey Parker, 47, was indicted on one count of third-degree assault in relation to an incident that occurred on Dec. 8, 2008. Parker allegedly “head butted Trooper Eugene Robinson, intentionally,” according to the indictment.

Other indictments filed in Fleming County Jan. 16 include:

—Robert A. Ball, 18, for one count of first-degree fleeing/evading police, one count of first-degree wanton endangerment, one count of second-degree possession of a controlled substance and one count of first offense operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants. The indictment states that Ball was allegedly driving a 1996 Jeep while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs on Nov. 3, 2008. Ball allegedly ignored “visual and audible signals from Chief Randy Sergent, Flemingsburg Police Department, in an attempt to elude the police.” The indictment further alleges that Ball “nearly ran Officer Tim Smith’s vehicle off the road . . . creating a substantial danger of death or serious injury to the occupants.” The indictment identifies three other passengers in addition to Smith.

—Anthony Lee Emmons, 36, for one count of first-degree possession of a controlled substance (Oxycodone).

—Carl W. Stephens, Jr., 30, for one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, one count of possession of marijuana, one count of operating a motor vehicle under the influence and one count of reckless driving.

—Randall E. Sentney, 49, for three counts of criminal possession of a forged prescription.

—Terry Joe Buchanan, 31, for one count of murder and one count of first-degree criminal abuse.

—Jessica Marie Allen, 22, for one count of murder and one count of first-degree criminal abuse.

Contact Michael Arthur at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 606-564-9091, ext. 271.

By MICHAEL ARTHUR, Staff Writer