A pharmacist in Fairfield has plead guilty to prescription drug diversion after stealing thousands of prescription pills. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Iowa office, 42-year-old Bryan Paul Vander Linden plead guilty and admitted that from June of 2022 to at least November of 2023, he obtained prescription pills for his own use from Summit Pharmacy of Iowa, which he owned and operated. He would order and not report the pills in the pharmacy’s inventory, take from the business’s stock, or take pills from the controlled substance collection bin, according to court documents.

It is reported that he obtained more than 3,500 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills, Schedule II controlled substances, and more than 400 muscle relaxant pills that are rated at a Schedule IV.

Vander Linden could be sentenced to up to four years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for July 28th and will be determined by a federal district court judge.