GROVER BEACH, Calif- A string of assaults, including two attempted murders in Grover Beach, occurred within 4 days of each other. It's something Grover Beach Police said is unusual for the city. One of those attempted murders was apparently over medication.
"The suspect entered the residence in search of prescription medicine," said Commander John Peters from Grover Beach Police. Once 60-year-old Thomas Kirker couldn't get the prescription drugs he wanted, he allegedly threatened to kill the man he knew, strangling him to the point of unconsciousness.
Fred-Bull Chaney is a recovering prescription drug addict and said he understands how something like this could happen. "I could honestly say that at any given time during my addiction I was willing to do whatever it took." That willingness, that desperate need for the fix is taking a toll in San Luis Obispo County. Last year over half of the over dose deaths in the county were from prescription drugs. The county health department and police said part of the problem is how accessible prescription medicine is. "I would say that every home in the state has a prescription drug in it somewhere and because of that prevalence there is opportunities for people to misuse and abuse them," said Commander Peters.
Recovering addicts like Chaney said it isn't hard to fool healthcare providers. "It doesn't take a lot of research to figure out what to say in an emergency room to get some pills." There is a choice in this matter. Chaney has 14 years of sobriety and has dedicated his life to helping others get sober like himself. He said helping others is what helps him stay sober. "You can wrap it up in a nut shell and say it saved my life, but I had to have a part in it, they say a higher power will move mountains but you better bring a shovel."
According to the center for disease control about 1-hundred people die a day in the US from drug over dose and 3/4's of those deaths are due to prescription drug abuse.
