Police have been on the heels of a duo connected to a prescription pill crime spree covering the South Sound.
“They’re distributing that to kids, adults, anybody, and those people are getting hooked on the oxycodone. First thing they’re going to do is gravitate to the fentanyl, then heroin, then we’re going to have the overdoses,” said Brian Hedden.
Tenino police said Terra Buraas, 45, and Louis Shipley, 47, scored more than 50 stolen prescriptions and hit pharmacies up and down I-5.
"Maybe even as far as Oregon, we just don't know how extensive it is," said Tenino Police Chief Robert Swain.
Shipley turned himself in to police Wednesday night. KIRO 7 was there as he faced a judge Thursday for identity theft and eluding police.
Buraas is still on the run.
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“My opinion is she’s probably still out there trying to do this,” said Swain.
March 27, the two were involved in a police chase following a traffic stop. The driver of the car sped off, leading police on a high-speed chase that ended at Henderson Road and Old 99. Both suspects got away.
Hedden owns Hedden’s Pharmacy in Tenino. He played a big role in helping police identify the pair after he got a suspicious call for a prescription refill. He called the doctor to double check and quickly learned the pair was up to no good.
“The office there said, no, that’s a forgery prescription and they’ve been fighting this for the last five to six months. They had a stolen a ream of prescription paper from the office,” said Hedden.
They’ve been making big money committing the crime.
“The Attorney General said that those tablets are probably $60 a piece on the street. Well, one prescription was $1,400 they had profit. You think of the 500,000 dosage forms they had, you’re talking $3 (million) to $4 million of drugs on the street,” said Hedden. “Hopefully they’ll sit in jail for a long, long period of time so they can’t hurt anybody else.”
Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call the Tenino Police Department at 360-264-2626.
Cox Media Group
