Detectives Unravel Story Of "Stolen" Prescriptions Pills

By Mike Perleberg Jennifer Ziegler and Jeffrey Henderson. Photos by Dearborn County Sheriff's Department. (Dearborn County, Ind.) - An inmate at the Dearborn County Law Enforcement Center is accused of conspiring to obtain and sell off prescription opioid painkillers. Jennifer Ziegler, of Lawrenceburg, was an inmate at the jail last November. According to a court affidavit, she told another inmate about to be released to use her name in order to obtain her prescription for hydrocodone at a local pharmacy. That other inmate, Margaret Mullins, of Aurora, was released. Dearborn County Special Crimes Unit detectives say she went to get the prescription filled by posing as Ziegler. A man, Jeffrey Henderson, of Lawrenceburg, later went to pick up the prescription hydrocodone and gave 10 pills to Mullins as payment. Upon Ziegler’s release from jail, she falsely reported that her prescription had been stolen. But police learned it was a guise to obtain a new prescription. Investigators interviewed Henderson, who allegedly admitted he retrieved the medication from the pharmacy. Mullins allegedly told police that Ziegler told her she wanted “money on her books”, meaning the pills were to be sold. Ziegler, Mullins, and Henderson each face charges of Dealing in a Narcotic Drug (Hydrocodone) Greater Than 10 Grams (level 2 felony), Conspiracy to Deal in a Narcotic Drug (Hydrocodone) Greater Than 10 Grams (level 2 felony), and Unlawfully Acquiring a Controlled Substance (Hydrocodone) (level 6 felony). Ziegler faces additional charges of Obstruction of Justice (level 6 felony) and False Informing (level 6 felony). During a January 8 initial hearing in court, Ziegler was ordered held on a $35,000 surety bond and $7,500 cash bond. The judge cited the allegations and Ziegler’s extensive criminal history for the high bond amount. Henderson, who is also facing allegations of breaking into numerous Dearborn County homes with sometimes his mother's help last year, is also back in jail. RELATED STORIES: Mother, Son Suspected In Dearborn Co. Break-Ins