Columbus County, NC – The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Vice-Narcotics Investigators arrested one individual, James Phillip Sanders II, 48, as the result of an ongoing investigation.
On May 10, 2019, CCSO Vice-Narcotics Investigators were contacted by a Tabor City pharmacy, in reference to receiving forged prescriptions. CCSO Vice-Narcotics Investigators initiated an investigation. During the investigation, CCSO Vice-Narcotics Investigators discovered that Sanders altered an old prescription, changing the doctor’s and patient’s name, and reproduced it multiple times. Sanders used multiple family members’ names for the prescriptions, including a deceased family member. He would drop off and pick up the prescriptions. The prescriptions were passed at pharmacies in Tabor City and Whiteville from November 2018 to April 2019.
Sanders was interviewed by CCSO Vice-Narcotics Investigators. During the interview, Sanders confessed to the crimes. He was arrested and charged with seventeen (17) counts of Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud or Forgery. He received a $97,000.00 secured bond.
