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A pharmacist who kept his license to practice after pleading guilty to stealing 5,000 prescription pain pills in 2012 from the University of Utah, has been newly charged with stealing 10,000 muscle relaxers from the Uintah Basin Medical Center in Duchesne County.
Craig Larry Marx, 35, was charged last week in 8th District Court with one count of third-degree felony theft, two counts of theft and three counts of possession of a controlled substance, all class B misdemeanors.
Marx allegedly admitted stealing the muscle relaxer Soma — by the handful — during July and August from the Roosevelt medical center where he worked.
Marx told a Duchesne County sheriff's investigator that he "would take a handful of pills a day and take them home … [and] estimated that he was taking 25 a day to ingest," according to court documents.
Marx also told the investigator that "he knew that what he was doing was wrong and that he knew he had an addiction problem," court records state.
In 2012, Marx was charged in Salt Lake County's 3rd District Court with one count of third-degree felony theft after admitting to stealing 5,000 hydrocodone pills while working at the U., according to court documents.
Marx "admitted he has a drug addiction … [that was] too overpowering to handle," according to charging documents in the 2012 case.
Marx entered a guilty plea in abeyance to a lesser class A misdemeanor count of theft in July 2012.
The case was to be dismissed in 18 months, provided Marx paid $1,647 in restitution, completed 40 hours of community service and successfully completed treatment through the state Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL).
According to court documents, Marx also entered into a five-year diversion agreement with DOPL that allowed him to retain his license.
According to the agreement, Marx promised to complete substance abuse treatment, submit to drug testing, attend a support group each week and notify his employer that he was the subject of a diversion agreement with state regulators.
But in March 2014, a $5,000 arrest warrant was issued for Marx following an unspecified "failure to comply with probation," according to the court docket.
Marx has been ordered to appear in 3rd District Court for a bench warrant hearing on Sept. 8.
In the Duchesne County case, he is to make a Sept. 15 initial court appearance.
A visit to DOPL's website shows that Marx's license to practice is currently listed as active, and there is no indication of any disciplinary actions.
DOPL issued this statement on Tuesday:
"The Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing is aware of the criminal allegations against Craig Larry Marx. Division investigators are currently working closely with our law enforcement partners in Duchesne to investigate the matter.
"Craig Larry Marx faced prior criminal charges in 2012 where he pled guilty to theft and entered into a plea in abeyance with the court which directed him to work with the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing. Mr. Marx had complied with the court's directions and DOPL staff are now currently reviewing the new criminal allegations and how they may impact his licenses."
According to DOPL procedures a licensee may be eligible for a diversion program only once for the same or similar offense.