School system: Bostian Elementary teacher charged with prescription fraud resigns

Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 2, 2014

School officials say Meredith Raynes, one of eight charged five weeks ago in a prescription fraud scheme has resigned this week from Bostian Elementary School where she was a teacher.

Police authorities say Raynes, 43, along with former China Grove Dr. Orrin Walker, 48, and his wife, Abby, 44, also a former Bostian Elementary School teacher, conspired to fill 200 fraudulent prescriptions for the pain reliever hydrocodone between October 2012 and March of this year.

Rowan-Salisbury School System Spokeswoman Rita Foil said Raynes had been suspended with pay, but resigned Tuesday.

Alisha Beaver Christian, 31, a teacher assistant; and Tammy Aldridge Eudy, 45, also a teacher assistant both have resigned.

Abby Walker was a second-grade teacher during the times the crimes occurred, but was suspended when school district officials learned of the investigation, and she subsequently resigned.

Orrin and Abby Walker are each charged with trafficking opiates by possession.

Teresa Beaver Seagroves, 53, an administrative assistant at McKnight Child Development in Kannapolis was also charged along with Summer Knight Thomason, 31, an educator at Southside Christian Academy in Salisbury; and Crystal Elizabeth Maness, 31, of Salisbury.

Each of the six women is charged with conspiracy to obtain controlled substances by fraud and multiple counts of obtaining controlled substances by fraud.

Authorities said Abby Walker would coordinate with the other suspects, who allowed their names to be used for the pick-up, payment and delivery of the pills to the Walkers. Dr. Walker is accused of writing prescriptions for the hydrocodone in the names of the suspects, none of whom were his patients.

Dr. Walker surrendered his medical license to the N.C. Medical Board.

Authorities have said the Rowan-Salisbury School System and Main Street Family Practice were fully cooperative with law enforcement during the investigation.

The charges are the result of a four-month investigation by the China Grove and Landis police departments and the SBI’s Drug Diversion and Environmental Crimes Unit.

All of those involved turned themselves into authorities, were booked into the Rowan County jail and subsequently released on bond.

Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.