Two Illinois men are being held in the Grundy County Detention Center after attempting to obtain a prescription at EverCare Pharmacy in Trenton on Tuesday.
According to the Trenton Police Department, the two men, identified as Pierre O. Celestine, 25, and George E. Almond, 43, both of Chicago, went to EverCare Pharmacy on Tuesday to pick up a prescription for Phenergan, a medicine that contains codeine, a controlled substance, for a third subject for whom a prescription had been called in by phone. Pharmacy employees thought the prescription might not be genuine and attempted to verify it, however, they could not. When the men came to the pharmacy, Det. Jerry Smith and Sgt. Matt Preston responded and the two were arrested. Celestine is charged with a class E felony of fraudulently attempting to obtain a controlled substance and a class A misdemeanor of possession of marijuana/synthetic cannabinoid of 10 grams or less (prior drug offender). His bond is set at $10,000. Almond is charged with the same class E felony of fraudulently attempting to obtain a controlled substance. He has an extensive criminal record and his bond has been set at $20,000 cash only. The information provided on the warrant for Almond indicates that he allegedly worked in concert with Celestine to obtain the prescription and drove a rental car from Chicago to obtain the prescription.
Trenton Police Chief Rex Ross said the information on the arrests has been provided to the Missouri Intelligence Analysis Center to be disseminated to other members of that group in case this incident is part of a larger prescription drug ring.
Celestine and Almond are scheduled to make their first court appearance in Grundy County on Feb. 11.
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