An Aurora drug store pharmacist has been charged with creating at least three fake customer accounts and using them to steal hundreds of dollars worth of pills, Aurora police said.
Lisa Marie Zwemke, 38, is charged with retail theft. She is accused of stealing $429.17 worth of Oxycotin from the Walgreens pharmacy she manages in the 0-99 block of North Union Street, according to police reports.
Zwemke was arrested Monday night, charged with retail theft and posted $150 bail. She could not be reached for comment.
According to police reports, Zwemke told police she has been struggling with prescription medicine addiction for about a year and wants help.
Walgreens spokesmen declined comment. Store manager John Leifheit said he has only worked at that location for a few months, and also declined to comment.
A team led by a Walgreens asset protection manager discovered the missing pills during an audit on the store’s pharmacy department Monday afternoon, according to police reports.
Shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday, police responded to the store to take the report. The asset protection manager told police she and her team learned during the audit that about 330 Oxycontin pills were missing, according to police reports. The asset protection manager and Walgreens district manager then met with Zwemke, the pharmacy manager.
When police searched Zwemke’s purse Monday night, they found several prescription drug forms, which she told them she should not have had, according to the reports.
The charge against Zwemke is a misdemeanor, police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said in an email.
Zwemke is scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. May 12 at the Aurora Branch Court. She has no previous history of drug-related arrests in DuPage, Kane or Kendall counties, records show.
