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Colorado pharmacist lured sick woman with promise of ‘cure’, drugged and raped her, cops say

FLORISSANT, Colo. — A Colorado pharmacist has been charged with sexual assault, accused of luring a seriously ill woman to his home via a dating website before drugging and raping her repeatedly over the span of about a week, according to police.

Brent Jeremie Stein, 46, of Florissant, lured the Indiana woman, who suffers from undisclosed medical issues, to his home with the promise that he could “cure” her ailments, court records show.

The woman was scared her condition could kill her and leave her 6-year-old son without a mother, an arrest affidavit alleges. The document is heavily redacted to hide details of the woman’s illness, as well as her gender.

Stein is charged with three felony counts of sexual assault, according to the Teller County Sheriff’s Office, which identified the victim as female. Stein was booked into the Teller County Detention Facility but has since been released on bail.

Stein, a former competitive cyclist, is the owner of Mountain Key Pharmacy, which is described on its website as “a locally-owned community pharmacy dedicated to providing outstanding customer service at an affordable price.” His biography on the site states that “making things for the benefit of the community is Dr. Stein’s passion.”

“Brent recognizes that more important than fast pharmacy service is local community-based health services beyond the regular prescription,” the site says. “Most importantly, Dr. Stein wants what is not only the better choice, but for others to understand the best choice is in Him or a higher power above.”

Stein has been active on the pharmacy’s Facebook page. A November post offered a free flu shot to the first person to guess what the various powders pictured would create.

“Hint: We are making capsules and this capsule helps women enjoy men,” the post stated. “It’s not available in the marketplace because it is sustained release and many men couldn’t do it. This takes a special man.”

The ingredients were for Viagra.

In another post from October, in which Stein introduces his newest staff member, he questioned why there are more women than men in the world.

“I believe it’s because men need women and one is not enough,” Stein said.

Since the sexual assault investigation began, other women have come forward to report unwanted sexual conduct on Stein’s part, authorities said.

“Detectives believe there might be other victims,” Teller County officials said in a news release. “We are asking anyone who knows anything about this case, or may be an additional victim, to come forward. If you or someone you know has any information, please call Detective Bisset at 719-304-5756.”

Teller County detectives went June 18 to Memorial Central Hospital in Colorado Springs after learning a woman was there having an exam by a sexual assault nurse examiner, according to court records obtained by Fox 21 in Colorado Springs.

“The female victim revealed that she had met the suspect, Brent Stein, on a dating website and that the suspect had made promises to heal her medical conditions and that he was a pharmacist with Mountain Key Pharmacy in Florissant,” the news release from the sheriff’s office said. “Over the course of a few days, Stein lured the woman from Indiana to his residence in Florissant.”

Once she was at Stein’s home, the victim said Stein drugged her.

Brent Jeremie Stein DOB 01/22/1974 Release - Pharmacist Arrested for Sex Assault Teller County, CO, July 7, 2020– On...

Posted by Teller County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, July 7, 2020

“Nurse (Constance) Whitrock stated the victim disclosed to her the suspect gave the victim multiple medications which (she) trusted were for (her) medical issues,” the arrest affidavit states. “Many of these medications caused (the victim) to become incapacitated and (she) was subjected to unwanted (redacted) and anal intercourse multiple times.”

The victim gave the nurse a business card belonging to Stein.

The last assault was on June 16, two days before the woman was seen at the hospital. The sexual assault nurse told detectives there were signs of anal trauma that appeared to corroborate the woman’s claims, according to the document.

The victim told authorities her ordeal began June 8 when she connected with Stein on the dating site eHarmony. Over a two-day span, she poured her heart out about her medical issues and her fear of leaving her young son.

The affidavit in the case indicates that Stein gained the woman’s trust by telling her his late wife had died of medical issues similar to hers. He told the woman he had the ability to cure her illness.

The victim booked a flight to Colorado Springs to spend six days with Stein for medical care, the document states.

The woman told police Stein told her he wanted to “court” her, but she responded that she was not interested in a sexual relationship at that time. Her first night there, they kissed and cuddled for a while before Stein forcibly penetrated her, according to the victim.

She told detectives he apologized, and she forgave him, chalking up the incident to his being “lonely and horny,” the affidavit says.

When talking to investigators, the woman expressed embarrassment and explained that Stein was “highly manipulative” throughout their time together.

The victim told detectives Stein gave her large syringes filled with an unknown liquid he said had “healing qualities,” the records show. The liquid was injected into her nose.

“The victim later supplied me with two of these 60-milliliter syringes filled to capacity with an unknown clear liquid,” a detective wrote in the affidavit.

The woman said Stein also put tablets and pills into her mouth. The side effects left her “extremely lethargic, unable to move (her) arms and legs.” She also had trouble feeling or moving her tongue, the affidavit says.

“The suspect began to tell the victim things like, ‘He was ordained by God to put his baby in her,’ and, ‘It was (her) destiny to carry his son.’”

While she was incapacitated, the woman was raped at least seven times between the date she arrived and June 16, the date she gave for the final sexual assault, she told authorities.

According to the court document, Stein refused to tell the woman what medications he was giving her. In text conversations she showed the investigators, Stein denied giving her medications.

“Wish you were OK, so sad,” Stein wrote, according to detectives. “I’m sorry I didn’t know. Wish you can forgive. Then you will heal. Sorry.”

Before leaving Stein’s home, however, the victim took photos of a red basket on top of his refrigerator that contained multiple medications.

All of the drugs, which the woman said matched the shape, size and color of what she was given, were prescribed to Stein from his pharmacy. Teller County Sheriff’s Office officials said while Stein is a licensed pharmacist, he is not licensed to prescribe medication.

The drugs in the photos included two beta blockers, metoprolol and carvedilol, and montelukast, an anti-inflammatory medication known under the brand name Singulair.

Investigators researched the drugs and found that the known side effects of metoprolol, which reduces blood pressure, include “blurred vision, dizziness, unusual tiredness or weakness, difficulty moving and the inability to move the arms, legs or facial muscles,” the affidavit states.

Stein was supposed to drive her back to the airport that day but failed to do so. According to the affidavit, she waited until Stein was working at his pharmacy on June 17 and called an acquaintance of his, whom she had met a few days earlier, and asked him to pick her up.

The man, who is not being identified because he is not charged with a crime, drove the victim to a family member’s home in Florissant, a tiny census-designated community with a population of about 100 people.

“While driving the victim, Mr. (redacted) explained to her he has helped two other women associated with the suspect, although the details of those encounters were not discussed,” the affidavit states.

The victim was also in contact with Stein’s sister, who lives in California, the records show. She told the woman about the alleged sexual assaults, about which the woman confronted Stein.

In the text conversation, which the sister sent to the victim, who then gave it to police, Stein appears to admit to the crimes.

“But I have repented and God has forgiven me, now I must change my behavior,” Stein allegedly wrote. “I’m fully responsible. No sex before marriage.”

“How about no forced sex? EVER!” his sister responded.

“I (expletive) up,” Stein texted back.

Fox 21 reported that Stein’s sister reached out to the news station on Saturday, providing a string of text messages she said “may show another side to the story.” Those messages were not included in the court records.

At the time of the alleged crimes, Stein was already on probation for a January 2019 conviction for domestic violence and harassment, the affidavit states.

Teller County Sheriff’s Office officials said Stein’s pharmacy license was suspended July 2 in connection with the sexual assault case.

It is not the first time Stein has found himself in trouble with the Colorado State Board of Pharmacy. He was disciplined in 2018 for a mistake made by a pharmacy technician working under him in September 2016 at Bemis Drug in Holyoke.

The technician dispensed the wrong form of OxyContin to a patient, online documents show. Stein failed to catch the error.