Reports of False Burglary Rise, But Who's the Victim?

Sheridan Police Chief Richard Adriaens says his department has noticed what he calls a huge increase in the number of reports of a specific type of burglary - but there's a catch. Chief Adriaens says the reports turn out to be centered around a claim of prescription drug theft - a claim that turns out to be false.

It's a familiar problem for many big city pharmacies because some make the false claims of medication theft in an attempt to obtain a refill of tightly regulated, controlled substances. It's also a crime.

In one example, Adriaens says officers responded to a Sheridan residence to investigate a claim of a break-in. Authorities found the door unlocked, a wad of cash still resting on a nearby table - a 30-day supply of a scheduled drug the only thing missing.

Though he says he does not have the statistics in on the frequency of these types of calls recently, it's a stark reminder that in small-town Wyoming, we are not immune to the societal effects of prescription drug abuse.

Between 72 and 81 percent of every arrest in Sheridan is alcohol-related, Adriaens says, while nine percent of arrests are drug-related.