THOMAS COOK
WESTFIELD – An Adams police officer was arraigned in Westfield District Court Wednesday on charges of uttering a false prescription, identity fraud, police or witness intimidation, receiving stolen property and attempting to commit a crime.
Thomas D. Cook, 35, of 10 Stafford Hill Road, Cheshire, was arrested Monday evening at the CVS Pharmacy on East Main Street when he returned at 7:51 p.m. to pick up a fraudulent prescription he had filed earlier that evening using the drivers license of another Cheshire man.
An employee of the pharmacy said that Cook had brought the prescription in to be filled at 7:11 p.m. When the pharmacy sent a text message that the prescription for Ritalin was ready to the man whose ID Cook was using, the man called the pharmacy to tell them he had not filed any such prescription.
The CVS employee then filled the prescription with multivitamins and checked the surveillance tapes to report Cook’s description to authorities.
Psychostimulant medications like Ritalin are used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents, but are often abused by college students looking to improve their concentration during exam periods, who ingest the pills orally or crush them to snort.
Methylphenidate, the main ingredient used in Ritalin and another ADHD medication Concerta, is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance by the United States Controlled Substances Act, along with powerful opiates like Codeine and Morphine, and other stimulants like Amphetamine and Cocaine.
In the statement of facts submitted to Westfield District Court Wednesday, Detective James Renaudette stated that when he arrived on the scene to speak with the pharmacist, Cook was at the counter picking up the prescription when he was identified by the pharmacist.
Renaudette also stated that after his arrest, Cook tried to purposefully delay and impede the investigation by insisting he was the man whose drivers license he had stolen. Authorities then spoke with the Cheshire man whose license Cook had used and, when asked how Cook might have obtained his license, the man said that he believed Cook stole the license when he arrested the man in July of 2012.
Appearing before Judge Philip Contant Wednesday, Cook was released on his personal recognizance. He is due back in court on October 24.
Adams Police Chief Richard Tarsa said Wednesday evening that Cook was no longer an employee of the town.
“He is no longer an employee of Adams or the Adams Police Department and he officially resigned Tuesday afternoon,” Tarsa told iBerkshires.com.
