Sarasota man charged with stealing $47,000 worth of fentanyl from Sarasota pharmacy

SARASOTA -- A 37-year-old man was arrested after the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office says he broke into a pharmacy and stole almost $47,000 worth of fentanyl, according to a news release.

At about 4 a.m. Tuesday, deputies responded to the Sun Pharmacy in the 2800 block of Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, after the burglary alarm went off.

Surveillance video showed the suspect smashed the front door and took 12 boxes containing 288 doses of Fentanyl Sublingual Spray from behind the counter, according to the report.

Matthew Critchfield, 37, was identified by the owner of pharmacy as a potential suspect. Initially Critchfield denied the allegations but later admitted to the theft, according to the sheriff's office.

Fentnyl is a narcotic painkiller that has been blamed for recent spikes in heroin overdoses and deaths. Authorities say some of the local heroin supply has been cut with fentnyl, adding to its potency.

Critchfield is charged with burglary of a structure with a controlled substance, theft of fentanyl and possession of fentanyl. He is being held at the Sarasota County Jail on $10,500 bond.

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Sarasota man charged with stealing $47,000 worth of fentanyl from Sarasota pharmacy ."