A Slidell woman who allegedly stole a prescription pad from the urgent care center she worked for has been arrested by Picayune, Miss., police for allegedly writing fake prescriptions and selling them to friends and others.

Rachel Whitfield, 23, 2057 Sixth Ave., Slidell, was arrested Oct. 28 and faces 216 combined charges of fraud in acquisition of a controlled substance, prescription forgery and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance. Picayune police spokeswoman, Capt. Theresa Milar, said her department has arrested 16 other people in the case, four of them from Slidell. They are still looking for two suspects, one a Slidell resident.

According to Milar, a Picayune pharmacy called the clinic questioning some of the prescriptions they had received for controlled substances of Xanax and Loritab. The doctors said they had not written the prescriptions, and Picayune police began an investigation.

On Oct. 27, Slidell police were called to the clinic on a complaint of theft. Slidell spokesman Capt. Kevin O’Neill said the clinic discovered one of its prescription pads missing. O’Neill said the clinic had fired Whitfield on Oct. 17, and she became a suspect in the theft. Neither Milar nor O’Neill would name the clinic nor the reason Whitfield was dismissed.

After some investigation, Picayune police called Whitfield to come to their headquarters, where she was arrested without incident on Oct. 28. Milar said Whitfield is cooperating with police in the investigation.

Milar said Whitfield would write out illegal prescriptions in the clinic’s parking lot and sell them to people for $200. Milar estimated Whitfield made over $100,000 on the fake prescription just in the Picayune area.

Milar believes the people who bought the prescriptions were not users but would sell the drugs to others.

“There is no way for a single person to take that many pills,” Milar said, adding the fake prescriptions averaged 180 pills every time they were filled.

With Whitfield’s cooperation, Picayune police were able to arrest 16 people who had used the fake prescriptions. The other suspects were from Slidell, plus Picayune and Kiln, Miss. All were charged with fraud in acquisition of a controlled substance, prescription forgery and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance.

Those arrested were Jessica Longoria, 25, Picayune, 72 counts; Eleazar Longoria, 26, Picayune, 47 counts; Cindy Giluso, 47, Picayune, 15 counts; Tammy Townsend, 39, Picayune, 21 counts; Tori Whitfield, 29, Picayune, 92 counts; Brittany Whitfield, 29, Picayune, 20 counts; Taren Westbrook, 23, Picayune, 15 counts; Nefel Anderson, 25, Picayune, 22 counts; Daniel Glover, 34, Picayune, five counts; Calvin Falcon, 35, 2513 Bluebird St., Slidell, five counts; Rebecca Marshall, 24, 65049 Honeysuckle Lane, Slidell, 10 counts; Elise Anclade, 36, 110 Francis St., Slidell, five counts, and Ernest Anclade, 40, 2404 Pelican St., Slidell, 21 counts.

Picayune and Slidell police are still looking for Chris Jordan, 25, Picayune, who is wanted on 20 counts, and Zona Marchand, 26, 1103 Doverville Court, Slidell, who has 25 counts hanging over her head.

O’Neil said none of the Slidell supsects have any previous records, except for Marshall, who had a minor traffic citation two years ago. He said Marchand’s warrant has limited extradition, and if caught in Slidell she would be sent back to Picayune, Miss.

“If we see her, we’re going to scoop her up,” O’Neil said.

Picayune Police Chief Jim Luke said in a released statement Whitfield’s arrest led to the “largest prescription forgery ring broken up in the city’s history.”

He added the bust put a big dent in the illegal prescription drug market in Picayune.

Milar said Whitfield is still in the Picayune jail under a $1.08 million bond.