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A local pharmacist has been charged with stealing thousands of dollars worth of prescriptions from a sample closet at Heritage Pharmacy, located at North Ninth Street in Bismarck.
Terry Kristensen, 63, is charged with 10 counts of felony theft, each carrying a maximum fine of $10,000 and five years in prison. On Tuesday, he appeared in court, where he waived his right to a preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Kristensen is accused of stealing prescription drugs from a sample closet at Heritage Pharmacy — a chain of pharmacies within Mid Dakota Clinics on North Ninth Street, East Rosser Avenue and in the Gateway Mall.
In August, Mid Dakota Clinic employees reported to police that Kristensen, who previously owned Heritage Pharmacy, had been going into the sample closet and stealing prescriptions, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
Bismarck police investigators searched the pharmacy in August and spoke with Kristensen, who apparently admitted to stealing the prescription drugs and said he had been stealing from the closet for more than a year, according to the affidavit. He told police he made an estimated $20,000 to $30,000 from the stolen drugs, and that he used the drugs for family members and patients.
Kristensen also told police he believed he stole the medications because of “greed,” the affidavit said.
The stolen samples included medications for type 2 diabetes and cholesterol medications, according to a list of prescription drugs Kristensen allegedly stole in August.
On Sept. 6, the state Board of Pharmacy launched an investigation of Kristensen.
Mark Hardy, executive director of the board, said Kristensen had stolen samples from the closet and then put them into his own inventory for dispensing to patients. Instead of buying drugs from a wholesaler, Kristensen was able to get them for free and make a profit.
“I think the important thing from our standpoint is, of course, there was no … direct harm to the patient that was in (his) care that we could find,” Hardy said.
The Board of Pharmacy completed its investigation in November and ordered that Kristensen surrender his license, which he did. Hardy said Kristensen was also required to pay a $25,000 fine for himself and a $15,000 fine on behalf of the pharmacy, because he owned it.
Kristensen is currently listed as owner and chief pharmacist on Heritage Pharmacy’s website. He’s also listed as a 1977 graduate of the North Dakota State University College of Pharmacy. According the the Board of Pharmacy’s website, he received his pharmacist’s license in 1980.
On Tuesday, Kristensen’s lawyer, Tyrone Turner, entered not guilty pleas to all counts for his client.
A jury trial has been scheduled for April 6-7.