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Pharmacy president sought on charges

 

07-Apr-2007: Just weeks after taking over the financially troubled mail-order pharmacy started by the Penobscot Indian Nation and Gov. John Baldacci, the new owner has a problem of his own and reportedly is on the run from law enforcement officials.

Jerry Tanner, 45, president and co-owner of I Care Pharmacy, is facing felony charges in Alaska for allegedly sexually assaulting young men under the age of 21 and providing alcohol to a minor.

Investigators in Alaska, with help from Maine police, determined that Tanner was in Maine and on Thursday an Alaska judge issued a bench warrant for Tanner’s arrest, naming him a fugitive from justice.

A Maine State Police detective tracked Tanner to the Bangor International Airport where he was arrested Thursday and taken to Penobscot County Jail.

Alaska officials attempted to get an expedited bail review to have Tanner’s bail revoked, but that didn’t occur. A wealthy man, Tanner owns businesses in Alaska and Maine and already had canceled two flights to return north to face the allegations, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

After appearing in a Bangor court Friday, Tanner posted bail which is believed to have been set at $75,000 cash.

"The court set significant bail," Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy said Friday night. He was unsure of the exact dollar amount.

A condition of Tanner’s bail is that he return voluntarily to Alaska by a certain date, Almy said.

"[Tanner] was in court in Bangor strictly for the fugitive from justice [charge], which basically tells him we want him back in our state," Alaska State Trooper Rick Pyles said Friday night in a phone interview. "My understanding is he’s supposed to be back here by April 14."

Attempts to reach Tanner Friday night were unsuccessful, but court documents state that "an employee of [Tanner’s] company has informed Sgt. Davis that [Tanner] stated he would flee to St. Maarten, Caribbean, if law enforcement officials attempted to arrest him. [Tanner] also stated that he had the financial resources to permanently retire there."

The charges Tanner is facing stem from incidents "on or about July 16, 2005, at or near Wasilla, [Alaska]," according to Alaska grand jury documents.

He was indicted by the Alaska grand jury Feb. 7, 2007, and a warrant for Tanner’s arrest to face the charges was issued Feb. 9, 2007.

It was just over a month later that Tanner announced his company, I Care Pharmacy, would bring 40 new jobs and a $9 million investment to Aroostook County when it opened a pharmaceutical packing and distribution center in Fort Fairfield.

I Care Pharmacy, which fills mail-order prescriptions, began providing services in mid-March to MaineCare clients previously served by PIN Rx, the Penobscot Indian Nation's mail-order pharmacy. At the time, 10 I Care employees were working out of the former PIN Rx facility at Indian Island near Old Town, and company officials were planning to relocate operations to Fort Fairfield by mid-April.

PIN Rx is under state investigation for allegedly dispensing $3 million in drugs on the Internet without verifying prescriptions. The Governor's Office of Health Policy and Finance helped the Penobscot Indian Nation develop the pharmacy, which opened in October 2005. Officials said the pharmacy would provide economic development to the tribe as well as fill MaineCare prescriptions for less cost than a retail pharmacy. The program for low-income Mainers was expected to save an estimated $5 million a year. Fewer than 1 percent of MaineCare participants, about 3,000 people, however, switched from local pharmacies to PIN Rx.

I Care Pharmacy now is serving those Mainers and has long-term plans of serving clients throughout Maine and in other states.

A background check on Tanner was not required by Maine because he is not a pharmacist and has no direct contact with prescriptions, David Farmer, spokesman for Baldacci said Friday.

"Our only business through I Care is through the MaineCare program," Farmer said. "It doesn’t sound like it’s anything to do with the company by the nature of the charges."

Source: Bangor Daily News