Oct 26, 2012 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – A woman who frequently spoke publically about illegal drug use, citing the experience of her son, who died of a heroin overdose, has been charged by state police with fraudulently obtaining prescription medicine. Nancy D. Horr, 47, of Rogersville, was charged Friday with seven counts of procuring drugs by fraud, deceit, misrepresentation or subterfuge and one count each of criminal attempt to commit acquisition and possession of a controlled substance. Police allege Horr fraudulently obtained and filled seven prescriptions for Ativan, a controlled substance that is used to relieve anxiety, between Feb. 4 and Nov. 9, 2011. The prescriptions were called in to the Giant Eagle Pharmacy by a friend of Horr, Rebecca Louise Raber, 47, of Waynesburg, who worked as a medical assistant at Waynesburg Family Medicine, police said. Raber also was charged Friday with seven counts of procuring for herself or another drugs by fraud, deceit, misrepresentation or subterfuge and one count each of criminal solicitation to commit acquisition and criminal conspiracy to commit acquisition. Horr, contacted at her home Friday afternoon, said she was not aware charges would be filed against her. She said she was taking Ativan at the time to help her cope with her son’s death. “I was under the understanding I was getting them from a doctor,” she said. Horr said she believed that Raber, who worked in a doctor’s office, had received the consent of a doctor to prescribe them. Raber, when reached at home, declined to comment. Horr’s son, Christopher, died of a drug overdose Jan. 30, 2011, at the age of 21. Following his death, Horr spoke frequently in public about her son’s experience with drugs, attempting to bring the problem of drug addiction to the forefront. Police began investigating the matter after a Giant Eagle pharmacist received a voice mail message Nov. 9, 2011, of a telephone call-in prescription of Ativan for Horr from Waynesburg Family Medicine. The pharmacist called the doctor’s office and was informed Horr was not a patient at that practice, according to the criminal complaint. Pharmacy records indicated all eight prescriptions for the drug that had been called in to the pharmacy for Horr came from “Becky” at Waynesburg Family Medicine, police said. The manager at the doctors office identified the caller as Raber. Raber was terminated from the office Nov. 10, 2011, police said. In an interview with police, Horr said she believed the prescriptions were issued under the authorization of Dr. Rachel Schroer, who practiced at Waynesburg Family Medicine. She told police her friend, Becky Raber, had made the arrangements and called in the prescriptions to Giant Eagle. She admitted never having been a patient of any doctor at Waynesburg Family Medicine. Police also obtained prescription records for Horr at Cornerstone Care in Rogersville, where she was a patient. Police said the records make no mention of Ativan being prescribed to her. The charges against the two women were filed with District Judge Glenn Bates. Preliminary hearings have not yet been scheduled.