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Century Pharmacist Arrested On DUI, Drug Possession Charges
April 9, 2016
A Century pharmacist was arrested Thursday night in Santa Rosa County on DUI and drug charges.
Julie Lynn Booth-Moran, age 57, of West Highway 4, was charged with driving under the influence, a misdemeanor charge of possession of a harmful new legend drug without a prescription and felony possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office reported responding to a possible intoxicated driver just after 7:30 p.m. after witnesses described the vehicle as swerving all over the road and almost hitting several cars and mailboxes. Deputies made contact with a Lexus SUV driven by Booth-Moran at the Dogwood and Stewart Street intersection. The responding deputy reported that he followed that vehicle at 25 mph in a 45 mph zone on Stewart Street before activating his emergency lights. The deputy stated that the vehicle did not stop until two other units arrived with the lights and sirens activated on Firehouse Road.
The deputy reported that Booth-Moran tried to find her license multiple times in her purse but did find her concealed weapons permit, alerting him to secure a loaded .32 caliber semi-automatic handgun from her purse. As Booth-Moran looked for her driver’s license, the deputy reported that he could plainly see several prescription medication bottles in her purse.
Booth-Moran failed to perform the tasks as instructed in a field sobriety test and was placed into custody, according to her arrest report.
The deputy reporting finding a medication bottle without a prescription label but with a piece of tape labeled as “HCTZ 25″. The 28 pills inside the bottle were Hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic medication commonly used to treat high blood pressure. Inside a prescription bottle with a proper label for another common blood pressure drug, the deputy reported finding one 10 mg hydrocodone pill, a controlled narcotic. An inside another bottle with a legal prescription label for Phentermine, an appetite suppressant, deputies reported find half of one Viagra pill.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, Booth-Moran’s breath test results were absolute zero for alcohol. She submitted to a requested urine test according to the arrest report; the results of that test are not yet available.
Booth-Moran was released on bond from the Santa Rosa County Jail early Friday morning.
Comments
32 Responses to “Century Pharmacist Arrested On DUI, Drug Possession Charges”
I have known Julie for years and there must be more to the story than this! Julie is the most kind, loving, RESPONSIBLE, caring, compassionate person! I wish everyone would wait until the outcome before rushing to any judgement….I can assure you it will turn out in her favor. Praying for you dear friend! Always here if you need ANYTHING!
We have known Julie for many years She has helped us many times. How do any of you know that she wasn’t taking the Hydrocodone to be delivered to one of her customers who ran out? How do you know that she wasn’t possibly driving “erratically” due to fatigue? Julie, we believe in you, trust you and love you. Do not let this incident change the good person we know you are. Love ya!
Does producing a concealed weapon permit authorize search and seizure?
The title for this article should have been – Hard-working, Good Woman Victim of “War on Drugs”.
Important things to remember; Sometimes people don’t immediately stop when pulled over because they want to get to a public place where they’re more safe.This really upsets police officers,but it’s an important precaution in today’s world.
Arrest reports are written by law enforcement officers with the specific intent of building a case, justifying, [retrospectively] their often questionable searches and actions. Anything in the arrest report should be taken with a massive grain of salt.
Some blood pressure medications? One pain pill? How could that equal a felony in any just society? Who hasn’t put their blood pressure pills in a pill caddy, lunchbox or pocket? Are we all felons? This has got to stop!
Julie has provided amazing service to the town of Century. No decent person,like her, should ever suffer such indignity and harm at the hands of local law enforcement. Citizen of the year would be more appropriate.
This goes to show that an arrest and mug shot may are may not be the true story and to be in this great country and have our legal system is a privilege. A disgruntled person who also made the news by trying to get a prescription could have called in that she was driving erratically which may or may not be true. Its easy to form an opinion from ones own point of view.
She should have been stopped. The deputy did his job. The evidence was documented. People rush to condemn but also to look the other way. It is in the courts hands now. Let justice do its job.
I don’t know the lady, but I hope her concealed weapons license gets suspended and her pharmacist license as well, until she can prove worthy of having it, and second I definitely wouldn’t have her filling my prescriptions ever again. I seriously doubt she was under the influence of high blood pressure meds. Jesus can fix you…
Julie we love you and praying for you. I feel bad for you because we know what it is like to have stones thrown at you. I wish some of them would sweep around their own door steps before they try to sweep someone else. You are a very sweet lady so hold your head up and don’t let all the negative comments get to you.
Whoever said pharmacists walk on water? All of us are only human. Give the lady a break. I am sure she has problems, just like the rest of us.
I don’t think she got arrested for having pills in unmarked pill bottles but she got arrested because she was a danger to herself and to others. This also is not about is she a good person or not but that a law was broken and other peoples lives were put in danger because of her driving under the influence.
If she was driving eractically, then yes, she should have been pulled over. Not hard for LEO’s/ prosecutors to verify if you have a script for whatever you are “holding”. I can assure you I DO NOT carry my pain med script bottle with me. I have no desire to be murdered. I have been followed on several occasions leaving a pharmacy, I am a bit of a “harder target” than most being ex-military, but I know what can happen. This place has become one of the murder capitals of the USA. Sorry, rambling. Basically she was driving weird, was rightfully pulled over, let them prove her guilt (if she is). Doctors have given me medications and contra-indicated drugs that almost killed me a few times…is that my fault? Let’s let the courts investigate. GOD I hope I never get my photo in here. Folks are too quick (myself at times too) to judge when they do not know the facts. We are too focused on the distractions and allow the real evil to prosper.
She is not guilty till proven guilty.
Do some research and you will find these statements by Florida lawyers:
“Citizens are not required to carry around prescription bottles, but by not doing so, they expose themselves to arrest by lazy police officers not interested in researching the validity of the prescription. Thus, it’s always a good idea to carry the bottle, as it provides “proof” that the prescription is valid.”
It is also up to the prosecutor to go ahead with charges or drop charges or change charges. Once the LEO does the initial arrest, he/she has no more say in what the prosecutor does.
Not taking a side one way or another here! But remember the first reason she was stopped got the attention drawn to her, so apparently something was going one with her. I do agree that a lot of people have issues nobody knows about and finds ways to deal with them. As for carrying a dozen pill bottles for each medication, I personally think if it’s not a narcotic, why make a big deal about the rest of them. Sometimes you may need one of this or that throughout the day and don’t want a purse full of bottles.
Two things on why the police would have charged her with only having the one hydrocodone pill:
1) in a case like this with multiple possible charges. You charge the suspect will all available charges. The reason being is that when it comes time for court the multiple charges gives the state attorney the bargaining chips in order to get a plea deal done. Many times they will ask the LEO if they can drop those charges to get a plea and most officers agree
2) everything is almost now on in car camera or body camera. Finding that pill even if you don’t do charge you have to turn it in as property. Well that’s all on video or documented. So a good attorney in another case will ask why did you not charge her but you did my client. So unfortunately they way climate is against law enforcement you have discretion but then really in the end you don’t.
I have witnessed God use you to help so many people for so many years. God will help you now and your friends are here to support you. We love you, Julie!
I wonder if she had continued to drive and ran over a child or hit another vehicle and caused the death of an innocent person, would all these people still be commenting on how wonderful of a person she is, and how “overzealous” the police were for arresting her. She was obviously driving under the influence of something according to all the calls describing her erratic driving and the officer’s description of her erratic behavior. I’m sure she did a lot of good on her job, but that does not excuse the fact that she put a LOT of people’s lives in danger by choosing to take whatever she took and get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive on a public road. And she is a pharmacist; if anyone knows it is illegal to have prescription medication without a prescription-it is her! Give her whatever help she needs- rehab, counseling, whatever- but do not excuse the criminal actions of a person just because they “are a nice person”.
@Thoughts, it appears that from your own “what if”, you already know what you’re doing is against the law. So why stir this pot?? She knew from being in the business what she was doing was against the law just as you would if you done it. She went to jail just as you would. So overzealous, no. They done their job. Try supporting them [Police] for a change.
@Thoughts
You should always keep prescription medications in properly labeled bottle from your Pharmacyas dispensed. And, especially if the medication is a narcotic. A suggestion would be to ask your pharmacy to prepare you a small prescription bottle with proper label on it to carry with you.
I do not understand why people want to put 10+/- pills in a miscellaneous bottle all mixed up. That looks suspicious from the beginning.
Good luck, Julie!
This actually has me rethinking some things about citizens rights and how valuable our justice system can be. Perhaps I take a pain pill from a valid prescription bottle and put it in an old pill bottle, with some zantac, a Tylenol, some Tums in my purse..just in case. Then I get stopped for some reason and not knowing my rights allow or give consent for a search…then get charged for felony possession with out a prescription just because it is not in the right bottle. ……hmmmmm…maybe just maybe the police can be overzealous. Maybe I have been too critical to judge others. I hope things turn out for the best.
I’m sorry if she was in the wrong she needed to go to jail like all the rest her job being a pharmacist shouldn’t up hold her when she was in the wrong her doing wrong don’t make her no less of a good person just means you never know what’s really going on in peoples life
So very true, Terry Sanders, you never know when someone needs to talk but doesn’t really have anyone to talk to, & afraid to bring certain things up, even if their only curious to ask questions, because they have trust issues, especially when those closest to them betrayed them, throws their past back in their face & if they can’t trust those, who can they trust & there are those who don’t want to get others down with their problems & there are those that avoid you when you’ve finally talked & you’ve told too much, when they’ve thought they could talk, so I try to talk to anyone who talks to me & I sometimes even start talking to strangers even if it’s just about the weather. Some people don’t think about those that talk too much, they may not have anyone to talk to then when they do they can’t seem to get quiet
Hate to here about this she was a good person. I hope the pharmacy stays open. That’s the only pharmacy I know of let people charge things there May God be with her.
let’s not throw stones if you’re on prescribed drugs you[re addicted if you eat to much you addicted etc, let’s pray for her we all have fallen short,,,,,,,
Prayers for Julie and her family Sometimes we do not know what is happening in people we talk to everyday
A very dear friend of mine…I am sorry this happened..I am here for you anytime Julie.
1 illegal pill? That’s it? Yes, its wrong, but really?
Unfortunately for her, she has now been brought under public scrutiny due to her actions, and will now have to deal with the legal ramifications that come with being in a position of public trust. As far as the alcohol, she dodged that bullet, but DUI covers all the drug influences…
We never know what pain is going on behind the smiles…
Praying for Ms. Julie.
She is a very sweet woman and has been there for my family for years. She helped out tremendously, navigating prior auths etc, when my mom had cancer. I’m sorry to hear that her incident has been publicized to be scrutinized by those who will love to throw the proverbial stone.
Maybe her blood sugar was low or a medical problem surfaced. Remember presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Our local century pharmacy pharmacist wow.