A 61-year-old Chicago woman is being charged with a handful of felonies after she had a detention hearing in Knox County Circuit Court Friday afternoon.
Peggy J. Thompkins allegedly was arrested after allegedly trying to fill a false prescription. She made a video appearance with Judge Raymond A. Cavanaugh, who informed Thompkins she was facing a Class 3 charge of Forgery, as well as Class 4 felonies of Unlawful Possession of a Prescription, and Unlawful Acquisition of a Prescription.
Assistant State’s Attorney Sabrina Stroops recommended a bail of $5,000. Public Defender Daniel O’Brien asked Cavanaugh to let Thompkins go on a recognizance bond, saying she had no job, no money, and medical issues to take care of. Cavanaugh would set it bond at $3,000, saying that medical care would be provided at the jail.
According to the police report, officers were called out to 1975 National Boulevard, Hy-Vee, for a call that a woman was trying to fill a fake prescription. Officers arrived and were given a description of Tompkins and found her in the parking lot looking for her daughter, “Elizabeth”.
Thompkins alleged the prescription was written by a doctor at a clinic on King Drive in Chicago. When asked why she came to Galesburg, she told police she was there to do some shopping.
Eventually, she would allegedly tell officers that there was no “Elizabeth” and that she was brought to Galesburg by a family friend named “Teresa”. Thompkins said that “Teresa” gave her the prescription.
As it happened, that doctor was practicing in Galesburg, not Chicago. When asked about how she got a prescription in Chicago from a doctor in Galesburg, Thompkins couldn’t produce an answer.
The pharmacy employee told police that he had spoken with the doctor whose information was on the script approximately 30 minutes prior to Thompkins arrival. He informed the pharmacy worker that fake prescriptions using his credentials had been floating around and sent a picture of one to him. That employee used that image to verify it was a fake that arrived.
Officers also spoke with the doctor, who was able to give details on the difference between a real prescription, and a fake that had been circulating. He told police that fakes had popped up in Champaign, Springfield, and recently in Galesburg.
A bond rehearing was scheduled for September 12th and a preliminary hearing for September 25th.
