A Bowie State University campus police officer has been charged with repeatedly forging and counterfeiting prescriptions for a powerful pain medication.
Cpl. Marc Ducellier was indicted on June 5 and arrested a day later after a Prince George’s County grand jury found enough evidence to charge him with forging prescriptions on three occasions in January and using them to obtain oxycodone, a highly addictive drug typically used to ease the pain of late-stage cancer patients.
According to the 19-count indictment, on Jan. 13, 26 and 31, Ducellier obtained oxycodone by using fake and forged prescriptions. The charges say he counterfeited the prescriptions on each occasion, although they don’t indicate how was able to make copies of the notes that are for a doctor’s use only.
But police say he was successful at convincing pharmacists the documents, with their forged signatures, were real; investigators found him with the drug, court records show.
He also was charged with theft of less than $500 from the International Workers Insurance Fund, court records show.
The arrest comes at a time when a recently fired college police officer has been claiming the department is corrupt in court filings.
Sgt. Tyrone Lawson alleges he was fired in mid-February because he tried to bring attention to what he has called widespread corruption within the department.
However, no one has stepped forward to join his four lawsuits — one against the department and three against Police Chief Ernest Waiters — and all are still awaiting their day in court.
According to court documents, Lawson was charged with 16 administrative disciplinary charges alleging violations of department policies. Those charges, which were not listed, were heard by an administrative hearing board that recommended only eight of the violations move forward and that Lawson be demoted.
But Waiters, who could not be reached for comment, fired Lawson instead.
Ducellier has been suspended from the police department and is out on bail.
