Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — More than $1,000 worth of medication was stolen from a local pharmacy last weekend.

Several bottles of OxyContin, an addictive and increasingly abused narcotic painkiller, were stolen from the Lyon's Corner Drug and Soda Fountain Saturday night. A bottle of Hydrocodone and half a bottle of Tylenol 3 were also reported missing.

The Steamboat Springs Police Department responded Saturday evening to a burglar alarm from the business at 840 Lincoln Ave.

Officers found a broken window on the west side of the building, Assistant Police Chief Art Fiebing said. The hole in the glass was about 3 feet in diameter, he said.

"It looked like somebody broke the window from the outside, as broken glass was all over the inside of the building," Fiebing said.

The rest of the windows and doors were secure, he added.

Lyon's Drug pharmacist Thomas Clapsaddle conducted an inventory of the business after police searched the building and determined medicine had been taken from the pharmacy. Nothing else was taken from the drug store.

Clapsaddle told police he had received a suspicious telephone call earlier that evening. The caller wanted to know if Lyon's Drug carried OxyContin and whether the store would accept an out-of-state prescription, according to police reports.

Clapsaddle told the caller he would not accept an out-of-state prescription, Fiebing said.

Police are investigating the incident.

"We are trying to find out exactly how much was taken and go from there," Fiebing said.

It's important police find the thief or thieves and get the drugs off the street, he added.

OxyContin is a narcotic drug used to treat moderate to severe pain.

Reports of OxyContin abuse are growing in the United States, and have been linked to addiction and death. Hydrocodone and Tylenol 3 are other strong painkillers.

People who know anything about the incident are asked to contact Routt County Crime Stoppers at 870-6226 or the Steamboat Springs Police Department at 879-1144.

Callers to Crime Stoppers do not have to reveal their names and may be eligible for a cash reward if their information helps police solve the case.