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Crime & Courts

Fluvanna County Pharmacist Charged with Stealing Prescription Opioids

A federal grand jury has indicted a former Virginia pharmacist on drug theft and product tampering charges, federal officials announced on August 13, 2026.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 10:27 a.m. ET
On August 13, 2026, First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci for the Western District of Virginia announced the unsealing of a federal grand jury indictment against Joshua Joseph Walden, 52. The case remains pending and undecided at the charging stage. According to official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Walden worked as a pharmacist at Jefferson Pharmacy in Palmyra, Virginia, from in or before July 2023 until his resignation in February 2025. The indictment alleges that Walden diverted liquid hydromorphone for his own personal use and replaced it with water. Federal prosecutors further allege in court filings that throughout his employment, Walden stole liquid opioids and amphetamines and tampered with prescription medications with reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury. Walden faces charges including one count of tampering with consumer products and attempt to tamper with a consumer product, two counts of theft of pre-retail medical products, and one count of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Browne is prosecuting the case following an investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Virginia State Police. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 14:27current

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