A local pharmacy employee was arrested last week on charges of stealing a controlled substance from the Walgreens, located at 13613 US Highway 1, Sebastian. The pharmacy manager reported the incident to law enforcement, who discovered the theft during a routine inventory check, according to a police affidavit.
According to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to Walgreens on May 9, 2024, at approximately 11:39 AM after receiving a theft report. Upon arrival, they interviewed the manager, who reported that Jennifer Moeller, a pharmacy employee, was observed taking Alprazolam—a prescription anxiety medication commonly known as Xanax.
The theft was first suspected on April 26 when a discrepancy was noted in a customer’s prescription pick-up. The pharmacy manager explained that she initially secured the prescription in the employee storeroom before returning it to the pharmacy, where a pill count revealed several missing pills.
Confronted about the situation, the 44-year-old, admitted to removing the prescription and taking one pill. She told her manager that she had a rough day and ingested the pill in her car after her shift ended. Moeller insisted that she only took one pill, attributing any additional missing pills to a possible miscount by the pharmacist.
Moeller reiterated to deputies that she only took one pill. She was arrested and charged with one count of theft of a controlled substance, reflecting her intent to deprive the rightful owner of the medication’s value or use.
Moeller was transported to Indian River County jail, where her bond was set at $1,000.