Two Kane women are in McKean County Jail, charged with a complicated scheme to allegedly obtain prescription drugs for a former nurse who told police she is addicted to pain medication.

The state attorney general’s office filed charges against Elaina Marie Scharba, 40, of 262 Burning Well Road, and Kasey Marie Chitester, 34, of 301 ½ Haines St.

According to court records, in August 2016, a pharmacist at the Tops Pharmacy in Kane contacted law enforcement to report that Scharba and Chitester “had and were attempting to receive, controlled substances without an authorized prescription.” Chitester had attempted to obtain a refill of a previous prescription for the painkiller Tramadol, which was being rejected by insurance, alleged a criminal complaint in the case.

The pharmacist said she had spoken to Chitester about the prescription, and had filled a prescription for Tylenol 3 just a few days prior. That prescription had been called in by a woman claiming to be a nurse at Magee Hospital in Pittsburgh, and was picked up by a woman claiming to be Chitester’s mother. Chitester denied receiving the prescription or knowledge of who had picked it up, the complaint stated.

The pharmacist called the number left with the prescription, and while she was talking to the woman who claimed to be from the hospital, an actual hospital representative called the pharmacist back. The actual hospital representative said she didn’t know Chitester and that they had never called in a prescription for her; they only issue paper prescriptions, the complaint stated.

The actual doctor whose name the prescription was issued under contacted the pharmacy and requested a search for patients using his name there, as he was concerned it was fraudulent. The only other person using that pharmacy under that doctor’s name was Scharba, the complaint stated.

The investigator with the attorney general’s office contacted Rite Aid in Kane to ask if they had filled anything for Scharba. They had, and had a called-in prescription waiting to be picked up. When Scharba arrived to pick up the prescription, the pharmacist contacted Kane police. Scharba was interviewed, but was not arrested at that time, the complaint stated.

The next day, the investigator went to the Marienville Pharmacy in Forest County, where Scharba had filled five prescriptions for Tylenol 3, for 30 pills each, between March 22 and June 6, 2016. Some were filled within days of others, the complaint stated. Three others, for hydrocodone, were filled in 2015, and paid for in cash.

When the investigator was at the Kane police station, Scharba called there. The investigator spoke to her, and she said she had been a licensed practical nurse and “developed an addiction to pain medications for the last three years after a procedure,” the complaint alleged.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, Scharba’s license is on indefinite suspension after she failed to submit to a mental and physical exam in 2016. She was suspected of being addicted to drugs at the time, stated a disciplinary action on the Department of State’s website.

The investigator said Scharba admitted to calling in the prescriptions using a doctor’s information to three different pharmacies in Kane, and to the Marienville Pharmacy. The investigator also found Scharba had called in prescriptions to the Marienville Pharmacy pretending to be a doctor from a drug rehabilitation facility, the records read.

When asked about Chitester’s involvement, Scharba said Chitester “kind of knew that I had used her name and stuff,” the criminal complaint stated. Upon further questioning, Scharba said Chitester knew she would use her name for prescriptions, and that Chitester was “okay with it,” the complaint alleged.

Chitester was interviewed, but didn’t admit any involvement, the complaint alleged.

During a followup interview with the Tops pharmacist in Kane, the investigator was told that the pharmacist had been contacted several times by Scharba and Chitester. “Both were trying to blame the other for what had happened,” the criminal complaint stated.

Chitester was charged with obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation and four counts of conspiring to do the same, all felonies; and 12 counts of conspiracy to commit a criminal use of a communication facility, third-degree felonies. She was arraigned Thursday before District Judge David Engman in Kane and remanded to jail in lieu of $5,000 bail. She is scheduled to appear in Central Court Oct. 12.

Scharba was charged in McKean County with six counts each of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation and of conspiring to do the same, all felonies; and six counts each of criminal use of a communication facility and conspiring to do the same, all third-degree felonies. She arraigned by Engman and was remanded to jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.

In Forest County, Scharba is charged with seven counts of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, felonies; and six counts of criminal use of a communication facility, third-degree felonies.

She was arraigned in Forest County by District Judge Daniel Miller, and released on $10,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Oct. 24 in Forest County.