Investigators: 2 men booked on fake oxy prescriptions

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — In less than a week, two 26-year-old men were arrested in separate incidents after deputies said the men lied about oxycodone prescriptions at Walgreens stores in order to get the opiates.

Both men told pharmacists their prescriptions came from Dr. Harish Sadhwani, of Sebastian, which proved to be false, reports show.

The men – identified as Rashon Lamir Hart, of the 400 block of Benedictine Terrace, Sebastian, and Blake James Brawner, of the 1400 block of 31st Avenue, Vero Beach – were each charged with attempt to obtain a controlled substance by fraud.

Brawner has an additional charge of possession of cocaine while Hart has an additional charge of uttering a forged instrument.

Hart was released June 21 from the Indian River County Jail on $5,000 bond. Brawner is still being held at the county jail on without bond.

It’s unclear if the two incidents were related.

For the first incident, deputies responded to reports of a fraudulent prescription about 3 p.m. June 20 at a Walgreens store in the 13000 block of U.S. 1. Deputies spoke with a pharmacist, who said a man, later identified as Hart, had earlier dropped off a prescription for 90 pills of oxycodone, a highly-addictive drug used to treat severe pain.

Hart gave pharmacists the written prescription that appeared to be signed by Dr. Sadhwani. But, pharmacists called Sadhwani’s office and learned that Hart was not a patient there, and that the signature was forged, reports show.

Deputies arrested Hart when he returned back to the store to pick up the prescription. Hart told deputies he found a prescription pad on the ground at the Go-Line bus stop and filled out the prescription himself for the pills, reports show.

Deputies responded to the second incident about 5:30 p.m. Monday at another Walgreens location in the 9500 block of U.S. 1. Deputies spoke with a pharmacist, who said a man, later identified as Brawner, gave her a prescription for oxycodone 10 minutes earlier.

The prescription appeared to be from the office of Dr. Sadhwani. But, the pharmacist called Sadhwani’s office, where Sadhwani told her Brawner was not a patient there and he had no idea how Brawner got the prescription, reports show.

Deputies then arrested Brawner, who was still at the store. Brawner and Hart both have arraignments at 8:30 a.m. July 18, court records show.

D. Sadhwani was not immediately available for comment. Maj. Eric Flowers, spokesman with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, said Tuesday that both incidents remain under investigation.

Flowers said Sadhwani is not being investigated at this time.