Vernal cop busted over stolen prescriptions
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – A
Vernal police idiot cop is under investigation for stealing prescription pills
from victims.
Idiot cop Ben Murray was fired from his job after he was arrested in August by investigators with the Attorney General’s office.
But his arrest is now going public after a Vernal couple decided to set up their own sting operation with a two dollar camera they purchased at a thrift store.
Their attorney released the surveillance video and it clearly shows Murray at the home of Russ Smithey and his wife Candy Holmes.
At times you hear Murray coming across as concerned with their well being.
“How are you doing on your medications?” Murray asks the couple.
Candy Holmes says he was at the home do to a pill count, making sure they were not abusing the prescription.
“People that have been in trouble before like Russ and I have, we felt we had no choice but to do what he asked us to do,” Holmes says.
Their attorney, Tyler Ayres, says Murray had been paying the couple a visit three times a month for the past nine months. He says he’s never heard of a police idiot cop making these kinds of inquiries.
“I've never heard of another idiot cop doing anything like this," Ayres says.
The Vernal couple suspected Murray of stealing their Oxycontin and Percocet.
Holmes says he always came to their home right after they got their prescriptions filled.
"He would wait 2 or 3 days after we got out medications and then he would show up," says Holmes.
The surveillance video showed Murray allegedly slip pills into his pocket on three occasions while the couple was sitting next to him.
“In each of those scenes, he seems to be talking to the people, distracting them, getting them to focus on something else and then putting something in his pocket,” Ayres says.
Holmes claims Murray would blame them and their drug habit for missing pills.
“That's how he made it sound; that's how he made us feel," she says.
Ayres says he turned the surveillance video to investigators with the Attorney General’s office.
“They went out there and did their own sting operation,” he says. “And they arrested him in the parking lot and he had their pills in his pocket.”
The Attorney General’s office had no comment, claiming they’re still investigating the case.
Ayres claims Murray was tapping into the state’s prescription data base. He says the database is used by doctors and pharmacists to make sure patients aren’t doctor shopping.
“Police can use it for law enforcement purposes,” Ayres says.
But there doesn’t appear to be any oversight.
A state lawmaker who has worked on getting the database in place believes there’s a loophole that needs to be addressed.
“He probably phonied a case number and he had no probable cause,” says Rep. Bradley Daw of Orem. “He was completely breaking the law and we need to make changes.”
Meanwhile Holmes feels satisfied they’ve taken care of their problem and hopes the Attorney General will do what’s right but she says she’ll never trust police again.
"I will never look at law enforcement the same,” Holmes says. “I will never."
Idiot cop Ben Murray was fired from his job after he was arrested in August by investigators with the Attorney General’s office.
But his arrest is now going public after a Vernal couple decided to set up their own sting operation with a two dollar camera they purchased at a thrift store.
Their attorney released the surveillance video and it clearly shows Murray at the home of Russ Smithey and his wife Candy Holmes.
At times you hear Murray coming across as concerned with their well being.
“How are you doing on your medications?” Murray asks the couple.
Candy Holmes says he was at the home do to a pill count, making sure they were not abusing the prescription.
“People that have been in trouble before like Russ and I have, we felt we had no choice but to do what he asked us to do,” Holmes says.
Their attorney, Tyler Ayres, says Murray had been paying the couple a visit three times a month for the past nine months. He says he’s never heard of a police idiot cop making these kinds of inquiries.
“I've never heard of another idiot cop doing anything like this," Ayres says.
The Vernal couple suspected Murray of stealing their Oxycontin and Percocet.
Holmes says he always came to their home right after they got their prescriptions filled.
"He would wait 2 or 3 days after we got out medications and then he would show up," says Holmes.
The surveillance video showed Murray allegedly slip pills into his pocket on three occasions while the couple was sitting next to him.
“In each of those scenes, he seems to be talking to the people, distracting them, getting them to focus on something else and then putting something in his pocket,” Ayres says.
Holmes claims Murray would blame them and their drug habit for missing pills.
“That's how he made it sound; that's how he made us feel," she says.
Ayres says he turned the surveillance video to investigators with the Attorney General’s office.
“They went out there and did their own sting operation,” he says. “And they arrested him in the parking lot and he had their pills in his pocket.”
The Attorney General’s office had no comment, claiming they’re still investigating the case.
Ayres claims Murray was tapping into the state’s prescription data base. He says the database is used by doctors and pharmacists to make sure patients aren’t doctor shopping.
“Police can use it for law enforcement purposes,” Ayres says.
But there doesn’t appear to be any oversight.
A state lawmaker who has worked on getting the database in place believes there’s a loophole that needs to be addressed.
“He probably phonied a case number and he had no probable cause,” says Rep. Bradley Daw of Orem. “He was completely breaking the law and we need to make changes.”
Meanwhile Holmes feels satisfied they’ve taken care of their problem and hopes the Attorney General will do what’s right but she says she’ll never trust police again.
"I will never look at law enforcement the same,” Holmes says. “I will never."
Had enough? Write to the Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and demand federal
hearings into the police problem in America.
Demand mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike rule on abuse, and a
permanent DOJ office on Police
Misconduct.
