A county prosecutor told a judge in Harford County Friday that Oxycontin has become the biggest problem drug in Harford County.
Several people brought before District Court Judge Mimi Cooper at Friday's bail reviews in Bel Air were been accused of stealing, selling or abusing Oxycontin or its generic, oxycodone.
"You know the number-one problem drug in Harford County is now oxycontin," Assistant State's Attorney Diane Adkins-Tobin said, while reviewing the charges against Terrance K. Glover, of the first block of North Philadelphia Boulevard in Aberdeen.
The 42-year-old has been charged with possessing a narcotic with the intent to distribute, and possessing of a drug other than marijuana. He also has some driving charges.
Tobin said Glover was charged with having 30 oxycontin pills, and officers found more drugs in the motel where he was staying.
Cooper decided to raise the bond on his drug-related charges to $150,000.
"I would have to agree with Ms. Tobin that the drugs are significant," the judge said.
Tobin's statements in court regarding Oxycontin are consistent with what law enforcement agencies and those who work in drug treatment and rehab in Harford have been saying for several months, namely that prescription drug abuse — and Oxycontin in particular — has reached epidemic proportions in the county.
There have been brazen robberies at 24-hour pharmacies in the county this year in which the robbers have demanded Oxycontin, as well as a number of petty theft cases in which law enforcement said people were stealing to get money because they had become hooked on the painkiller.
Others at Friday's bail review session were also involved with either Oxycontin or other drugs.
Tara A. Tancemore, 39, of the 400 block of Battery Drive in Havre de Grace, allegedly sold five oxycontin pills for $100 to an undercover officer.
Brittne Anne Bryan, 21, of the 2000 block of Oak Road in Sparrows Point, was in court after allegedly violating probation in a Harford County case where she was charged with theft under $1,000 and received probation before judgment in October 2010, according to online state court records.
The same records also indicate Bryan has a court date coming up in August in Baltimore City for case in which she is charged with possession of a drug other than marijuana.
Bryan's mother, Tracey Bryan, was in court Friday to defend her daughter, who she said completed a drug detoxification program and is constantly looking for work.
"I am trying to help her with the steps she needs to take," Tracey Bryan said. "Some of the stuff, she didn't realize the severity of it… I am trying to make sure this works."
Her mother posted her bail in previous arrests, but Cooper said she would hold the daughter without bond to address the other alleged violation with the Baltimore judge.
Tobin, the prosecutor, said although Brittne Bryan does not pose a danger to others, she may pose a danger to herself.
This article has been corrected from a earlier version.