A pharmacist from St. Helena was charged Monday by state health officials with stealing opioids from his employer, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, according to arrest warrants.
Aaron Masavage, 43, of St. Helena faces two counts of theft of a controlled substance from the Department of Health and Environmental Control, court and jails records show.
Masavage is accused of stealing Hydromorphone, a Schedule II opioid, in late October 2019 from Beaufort Memorial, where he worked as a registered pharmacist, two warrants say.
Convictions of theft of a controlled substance, a felony, could bring up to 10 years in prison, according to S.C. law.
Masavage was released on personal recognizance on Monday, according to court records.
When we publish mugshots
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances:
In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested
In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety
In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims
Reporters will avoid using mugshots as lead images for online articles in order to limit their circulation on social media, except in cases where the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may use discretion in situations that don’t meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still present a compelling reason to publish a mugshot.
Jake Shore is a senior writer covering breaking news for The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. He reports on criminal justice, police, and the courts system in Beaufort and Jasper Counties. Jake originally comes from sunny California and attended school at Fordham University in New York City. In 2020, Jake won a first place award for beat reporting on the police from the South Carolina Press Association.
