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DUCHESNE — A Utah pharmacist who was allowed to keep his state license after admitting that he stole 5,000 prescription pain pills in 2012 is facing new charges in Duchesne County, where he's accused of stealing twice as many pills.
Craig Larry Marx is charged in 8th District Court with theft, a third-degree felony. Duchesne County prosecutors also charged Marx with two additional counts of theft and three counts of possession of a controlled substance, all class B misdemeanors.
Marx, 36, was interviewed in late August by a Duchesne County sheriff's detective after apparently telling administrators at Uintah Basin Medical Center that he'd pocketed thousands of Soma pills — a prescription muscle relaxer — while working at the hospital's clinic in Duchesne.
"Craig stated to me after he waived his Miranda rights that he would take a handful of the pills a day and take them home," detective Monty Nay wrote in a probable cause statement, noting that Marx told him he "had an addiction problem."
"Craig stated that it got bad enough that he estimated he was taking 25 pills a day to ingest," Nay wrote.
A subsequent check of the clinic pharmacy showed that during the year Marx worked there, 10,000 Soma pills disappeared from the inventory, according to charging documents.
Court records show it's not the first time Marx has been accused of stealing pills from a pharmacy where he worked.
In March 2012, Salt Lake County prosecutors charged Marx with theft, a third-degree felony, after he admitted to supervisors at University Hospital that he had a drug problem and had been stealing prescription painkillers from the outpatient pharmacy, charging documents state.
In that case, Marx told his bosses that he'd taken as many as 5,000 pills over a period of 18 months, the charges state. Marx accepted a deal in July 2012 from prosecutors that reduced the charge to a class A misdemeanor and held it in abeyance for 18 months.
At the same time, Marx entered into a five-year diversion agreement with the state Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing that allowed him to retain his pharmacy license.
Under the terms of that 15-page agreement, Marx promised to complete substance abuse treatment, submit to drug testing, attend a support group each week and notify his employer that he was the subject of a diversion agreement with state regulators.
"Mr. Marx had complied with the court's directions and (Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) staff are currently reviewing the new criminal allegations and how they may impact his licenses," division spokeswoman Jennifer Bolton said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon.
"Division investigators are working closely with our law enforcement partners in Duchesne to investigate the matter," Bolton said.
Officials with Uintah Basin Medical Center declined to comment on any of the circumstances surrounding Marx's arrest, beyond noting that he had an active license and was "in good standing" with the state during his employment.
"Uintah Basin Medical Center has shared all relevant information related to Mr. Marx with appropriate governmental agencies and will rely on such agencies to conduct reviews they deem appropriate," hospital administrators said in a prepared statement, adding that they wished Marx "the best in his future endeavors."
Court records show that at the time of his arrest on the Duchesne County charges, judges in Salt Lake and Utah counties had issued warrants for Marx's arrest. The Salt Lake County warrant was issued for alleged probation violations in the University Hospital case, while the Utah County warrant was issued for Marx's failure to appear for a July 10 hearing in a trespassing case.
Marx, who posted bail after being booked into jail on the new charges and the two outstanding warrants, is due in court Sept. 15 for his first appearance in the Duchesne County case.
