VENTURA – There is no doubt that the high-pressure work of a pharmacy technician requires keen attention to detail and constant focus upon the task at hand. Dispensing the proper medication in proper dosages under the direction of physicians is a responsibility not to be taken lightly.
One would expect that professional mindset to carry over into other aspects of a pharmacy tech’s life, but that is apparently not always the case. Evidence of that came with the December 10th arrest of Melinda Bennett, a 26-year-old resident of Pasadena, as she was driving her Chevy Tahoe through the City of Thousand Oaks in the early evening hours. Perhaps Bennett’s mind was on other things as she committed a series of Vehicle Code violations which led patrol officers to conduct a routine traffic stop of her vehicle.
Once pulled over, Bennett undoubtedly tipped her hand and raised the suspicions of the patrol officer who, acting upon probable cause that she wasn’t being entirely forthcoming in their conversation, then conducted a search of the Tahoe. According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sr. Deputy Jason Louis, once the deputy had a good look inside the vehicle, “a large number of prescription medications, over $2,000 in U.S. currency, and over half a pound of cocaine packaged for sales” were discovered, making Bennett’s poor driving the least of her problems.
Bennett was taken into custody at the scene and transported to Ventura County Jail where she was booked on charges of possession for sale of a controlled substance and being under the influence of a controlled substance, with her bail set at $50,000.
