Purdue vet school tech charged with theft

A 28-year-old former Purdue Veterinary School Pharmacy technician has been charged with the theft of 14 15-mg codeine pills from the pharmacy in March.

A probable cause affidavit filed last week says Alana K. Williams of West Lafayette, whose job included distributing various controlled medications from a cabinet run by a computer with fingerprint and log-in access, stole the pills from the cabinet. These prescriptions were to be taken to other veterinary hospitals.

Officers also watched various surveillance cameras in those areas.

"While speaking with her," the Purdue Police officer wrote, "she was unable to offer any explanation on where the missing medication was outside of that it maybe got stuck in paperwork."

Williams said she did not take the missing codeine, the court document says. But staff members decided to fire her because "removing the medication and not keeping track of it constituted neglect of her duty and grounds for termination, regardless of whether she took the medication."

She has been charged with misdemeanor theft. An initial hearing is scheduled for June 6.