Three sets of arrests took place days before the Picayune Police Department implemented its Operation Early Morning Wake-Up.

The arrests ranged from an alleged attempt to fraudulently obtain prescription medication to traffic stops that led to drug arrests.

A keen eye at a pharmacist’s office lead to the arrest of a suspect when submitted prescriptions appeared to be missing information. The arrest took place on Sept. 12, when Kenneth Ducre, 23, 715 S. Haugh, Apt. H-63, was charged with four counts of fraud in acquisition of a controlled substance, said Picayune Police Public Information Officer Capt. Theresa Milar.

Apparently four prescriptions were dropped off at a local drug store that day by an unknown acquaintance of Ducre. Pharmacy staff noticed the prescriptions were missing information and called the doctor’s office from from which the prescriptions supposedly came. The doctor’s office informed the drug store that all four prescriptions were fraudulent. Officers were called out and an investigation was conducted, Milar said.

While the investigation was going on, Ducre was found at the scene waiting on another of his acquaintances to pick up the prescriptions. The investigation established that the two separate suspects, the one who dropped off the prescriptions and the other who attempted to pick them up, appeared to have no knowledge of the fraudulent prescriptions. Milar said only Ducre was charged.

A traffic stop on Sept. 13, led to the driver, Mark Edward Rush, 26, of 10070 Bancrost St. in Bay St. Louis, being charged with no driver’s license and no turn signal. As officers worked the scene, they found Rush’s passenger, Heather Terrell, 22, 1637 U.S. 11 S., had an open beer and a controlled substance in her possession. Terrell was charged with open beer and possession of controlled substance, Milar said.

A separate traffic stop on 9-16-08 at the intersection of North Blanks Avenue and Washington Street led to three suspects being charged with possession of a controlled substance. The driver, Larry Stockstill, 38, 143 Ruston Rd., Carriere, was pulled over for traffic violations. Officers checked into the matter further and found that all three suspects, Stockstill, Luther Haynes, 28, of 301 S. Blanks Ave., and Gerod Bickham, 30, of 422 Fannie Ave., were in possession of a controlled substance. Milar said all three were charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Bickham was also charged with open beer, while Stockstill was additionally charged with two counts of no seatbelt, two child restraint violations, emitting white light, no insurance and driving with suspend license, Milar said.