Sandpoint man charged in pill thefts

SANDPOINT - A Sandpoint man is accused of spiriting as many as 18,000 tablets of prescription medication from his former employer over a two-year period.

Bradley William Owens is charged with grand theft, burglary and possession of amphetamine. A preliminary hearing to determine if he should be tried in 1st District Court is set for Jan. 23, 2013.

Owens, 33, is free on his own recognizance while the case is pending.

Owens committed the thefts while employed at Sandpoint Super Drug from 2010 to 2012, charging papers allege.

More than 50 types of medications - including stimulants and opiates - turned up missing during the two-year period, according to court documents. The total value of the medications was pegged at $13,000.

A pharmacist grew suspicious that Owens was behind the thefts due to changes in Owens' demeanor and physical appearance, according to court documents. The pharmacist conducted his own investigation and kept a dossier on his findings.

Surveillance cameras also captured images of Owens ingesting pills, court documents said.

Owens, court records said, discovered the file on Oct. 17 and was seen on a surveillance camera looking through it. The file went missing, but was later found in a Dumpster behind the business and Owens was fired.

Sandpoint Police confronted Owens with the theft allegations, which he adamantly denied and claimed the pharmacist concocted them in order to cover his involvement in the thefts, according to probable cause hearing testimony.