Unalaska, AK – Drug theft felonies 03.25 Anne Hillman/KUCB

A woman from Unalaska is charged with 59 felony counts involving drugs she stole from the Iliuliuk Family Health Clinic. Thirty-nine year old Michele Calcia, a former clinic employee, was arrested yesterday and indicted by a grand jury in Anchorage. Between August 29, 2008 and December 18, 2008 she allegedly stole 2,512 pills of vicodin from the clinic pharmacy. Department of Public Safety Director Jamie Sunderland said the clinic administrators contacted Public Safety in December to say a staff member had made false entries in the pharmacy log.

Sunderland explained that Calcia allegedly would fill a person's prescription as the doctor said but write down that the person received twice the amount of pills. Other pharmacy logs, also signed by Calcia, said vicodin, a narcotic pain reliever was given to fake patients.

Public Safety reviewed pharmacy logs, patient records, billing records and other information and conducted interviews during the investigation. The investigation, which includes hundreds of pages of evidence, showed that Calcia dispensed vicodin 205 times. One hundred four of those were falsified. She also wrongfully dispensed 14 pills of methodone on December 18, 2008.

Calcia was charged with 58 felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the third degree, one felony count in the second degree and one misdemeanor count of theft in the fourth degree. The levels of the felony charges were also elevated because of the clinic's proximity to the skate park, a youth recreation area.

Sunderland said the size of the investigation and the number of charges is unusual. "It's pretty rare to come across something where you have this many felonies stacked on top of each other."

Sunderland said there is some evidence that Calcia did not keep the drugs completely to herself.

"Unfortunately some of it has made its way into the community. In one instance, we have it being given to, at the time, another clinic employee who in turn sold it to some local folks here."

Twenty-one year old Nicole Zamora is charged with one count of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the second degree.

Both women were arrested Tuesday. Calcia posted bail -- $5,000 in cash -- the same day.

Sunderland says the clinic is taking extra measures to prevent this from happening again.