Vermont State Police: Mom replaced young son’s ADHD medication with sugar, Prozac — (The Republican)

BENNINGTON, Vt. – State police arrested a 32-year-old Pownal woman Wednesday after she allegedly tampered with her six-year-old son’s prescription medication by replacing the contents of the capsules with sugar and Prozac.

Bennington police initiated the investigation in August when the boy’s mother, Kristy L. Prouty, made accusations that the medication she received from her child’s step mother during a custody exchange may have been altered, according to a release issued by state police.

The medication in question, Vyvanse, is a controlled and regulated drug is used in the treatment of conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Bennington police then seized medication from Prouty and sent it to the Vermont Forensic Lab in Waterbury, Vt. for analysis.

On October 18, Vermont State Police received a complaint from the Pownal Elementary School that the same medication for the same boy appeared to have been tampered with.

Such prescriptions are typically left at the school and administered by the school nurse. Prouty brought the prescription in on that date and six pills were missing, police said. The remaining pills were examined by the school nurse after the boy had received a dose of medication, and appeared to have been tampered with.

State police initiated an investigation, confirming that the six capsules were missing and that the remaining capsules had been tampered with. The capsules were then sent to the same lab for testing.

On Nov. 4, police learned from the lab that the capsules sent in by Bennington police contained powdered sugar and that the state police sample contained Prozac.  In both instances the capsules had been broken open and the Vyvanse had been substituted with sugar or Prozac.

Prozac is a controlled drug that is used as a mood stabilizer and in treating depression.

The boy, who was not prescribed Prozac, was not injured by consuming any of the altered medication, according to state police.

Police allege their investigation found that Prouty removed the Vyvanse from the capsules, ingested the drug and replaced it with powdered Prozac or sugar.

Police, in their investigation, interviewed numerous witnesses, obtained records from a local pharmacy and gathered numerous sources of corroborating evidence. Based on their findings, Prouty was charged for having altered her son’s medication on Aug. 16, prior to her making a report to Bennington police.

Prouty was also charged with aggravated assault, cultivation / manufacture of a controlled and regulated drug, prescription fraud, possession of a regulated drug, reckless endangerment, cruelty to a child under 10, petit larceny and providing false information to police.

State police said that during the investigation Prouty had offered false statements in order to deflect the investigation away from herself.

Prouty, held in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, is due in court Thursday at 12:30 p.m.