Walgreens pharmacist sets off 2-year investigation into Florida Hospital executive, sheriff says

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — It was a suspicious Walgreens pharmacist who set off a two-year investigation into a Florida Hospital executive that ended this week with his arrest, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.

Howard Perch, the executive director of Florida Hospital Oceanside in Ormond Beach, is accused of using his power at the hospital to get prescription drugs.

He is also accused of going to several doctors' offices in Central Florida with fraudulent information to get controlled substances, officials said.

The false information he used came from family members, including his own child, investigators said.

Federal investigators said Perch also used Florida Hospital doctors’ registration numbers without their knowledge to forge prescriptions for different controlled substances, including the powerful opioid hydrocodone.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the investigation into Perch was a joint effort with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

The allegations against Perch show that prescription drug abuse can affect anyone, Chitwood said.

“Here’s a man who’s at the top of his game, great job, but yet becomes addicted to these pills,” he said.

Agents said Perch, who allegedly suffered from chronic pain, made his rounds at Walgreens stores and doctors’ offices across Central Florida during the two-year investigation.

Perch was arrested Tuesday near his Ormond Beach home and charged with obtaining controlled substances by fraud and providing false information.

Cox Media Group