A man has been arrested for allegedly using false names to receive treatment and pain medication prescriptions at a Cherokee County hospital emergency room, authorities said.
Dustin James Funk, 33, of Carrollton, was arrested May 18 at Northside Cherokee Hospital in Canton, the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad (CMANS) said in a Facebook post. He was originally arrested for an outstanding warrant from Bartow County.
Credit: Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad
Credit: Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad
Funk allegedly visited the hospital 29 times since July 2017 and used different aliases to obtain drugs such as Hydrocodone, Oxycodone and Tramadol, the post said. The drugs were filled at eight Cherokee County pharmacies.
CMANS deputy commander Walter Jones told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he’s never seen a case like this before.
“This is a unique case,” Jones said. “We’ve certainly never heard of one where someone was going to an emergency room and using a false name.”
Funk was charged with 79 felonies, which Jones said was because each of the 29 instances is comprised of multiple felonies.
“The things that happen, particularly in these prescription cases, is if you present false information, that’s a charge. If you obtain the drugs, that’s a charge,” Jones said. “In cases such as this, if you use another person’s name, that’s actually identity theft, which is another charge.”
Funk’s charges include possession of Hydrocodone, possession of Tramadol and possession of Oxycodone, forgery in the first degree and obtaining controlled substances by fraud, the Facebook post said.
Jones told The AJC they believe Funk used false names in other jurisdictions across the north metro Atlanta area, and he estimates the number of instances will be somewhere in the 30s. An investigation is ongoing.
Funk is in the Bartow County Jail, the post said.
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