Mix-Up Led To False Arrest, Man Says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (CN) - A man says a pharmacy technician's negligence led to months of taking the wrong medication, his wrongful arrest and the seizure of his vehicle.

Frank Dor, a native of Haiti, was having a prescription "for immediate consumption" filled at a Wal-Mart in Orange Park. Dor is not fluent in English. He said that when he heard a pharmacy worker call out, "Mr. Doll," he thought he was being called. According to the complaint, Dor showed his driver's license to the worker, who "checked" it and then gave him the medication that was intended for Mr. Doll.

Dor says he brought back the empty bottle in the months that followed and had the medication refilled three times. Eventually, a worker who knew Mr. Doll recognized that Mr. Dor was not him.

The worker telephoned Mr. Doll and asked if he'd sent a friend or neighbor to pick up his prescription, then the sheriff's office was called, according to the complaint.

Dor says that because of the language barrier, he wasn't able to answer questions and didn't understand what was happening when he was accused of "fraudulently trying to pick up another customer's prescription."

His English is so limited that he could only reply, "Yes, yes," to most questions, the complaint states. He was arrested and handcuffed and his vehicle was seized.

Dor says he was without his car for months and had to spend $1,000 to get it back, along with legal fees to get charges dropped. Dor seeks damages for negligence. He had a prescription for an antihistamine. The complaint does not state what drug was prescribed to Mr. Doll. Dor is represented by Lynn Martin in Clay County Court.

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