STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) – Niquella Madden is facing charges in federal court with theft of a drug prior to sale after she allegedly stole pharmaceuticals from the Staunton Walmart while she was in training.
On February 21, 2023, Madden was working her usual training shift at the Walmart pharmacy. According to court documents, the pharmacist who was directly training her gave her a supply bottle of Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen 5/300 mg to fill, which is considered a pre-sale medical product.
In the affidavit, Madden claimed to have counted the batch once and then neglected to do a recount – standard procedure for the Walmart pharmacy. The Walmart pharmacy manager noticed that Madden had not recounted the batch of pills and was approached by Madden when she asked to join in on her lunch break. According to court documents, the pharmacy manager found the timing of the lunch break request “odd” and decided to check the prescription Madden had filled.
To verify the prescription, the pharmacy manager had to perform a recount—a process in which pharmacists recount the number of tablets in a bottle after it has been filled—and noticed that four tablets were missing from the batch.
The pharmacy manager then reviewed the security camera footage to see if anything suspicious was found. According to the affidavit, the manager saw a video of Madden looking around the pharmacy and sliding four pills from the counting chute into her possession.
Representatives of Walmart’s Asset Protection team interviewed Madden on February 21, 2023. She denied any claims that she had taken the pills, but alluded to the fact that her mother needed the pills for pain management.
According to the interview, additional pills were found missing while Madden was working at the pharmacy, as a result of drug evaluations by Walmart pharmacists:
- Three capsules of Adderall XR 30 mg on February 7, 2023.
- One Oxycodone/APAP 7.5/325 mg tablet on February 7, 2023.
- Five Oxycodone/APAP 7.5/325 mg tablets on February 12, 2023.
- Five Oxycodone/APAP 20 mg tablets on February 17, 2023.
According to the affidavit, surveillance camera footage showed Madden taking the missing medication.
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