Pill theft suspect waives hearing

SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint man accused of squirreling away thousands of pills from a local pharmacy waived his right Wednesday to a preliminary hearing.

Bradley William Owens’ waiver amounts to tacit agreement that the state’s grand theft, burglary and felony drug possession case against him is strong enough to warrant a trial in 1st District Court.

Owens is scheduled to be arraigned in district court on Feb. 4. He is free on his own recognizance while the case is pending.

Owens committed the pill thefts while employed at Sandpoint Super Drug from 2010 to 2012, according to charging papers. As many as 18,000 tablets encompassing more than 50 types of prescription medication were taken, court documents.

The pills, which included stimulants and synthetic opiates, were valued at $13,000.

A pharmacist suspected Owens of committing the thefts due to changes in his physical appearance and demeanor over the years. The pharmacy conducted its own investigation and surveillance cameras captured images of Owens ingesting pills.

Owens denied committing the thefts when he was confronted by Sandpoint Police and insisted he was being framed, according probable cause hearing testimony in the case.