A 30-year-old Red Hill woman has admitted in county court to stealing narcotics from the local veterinarian's office where she worked. 

        According to court records, Judith Taylor, of the 400 block of Main Street, was sentenced earlier this month by Montgomery County Judge Thomas P. Rogers to four years' probation after agreeing to plead guilty to theft and possession of a controlled substance.  She was also ordered to complete 24 hours of community service.

        Taylor was out on bail following her April arrest after state police investigated Tramadol pills reported missing from Dr. Pet Fixer at 2800 Shelly Road in Upper Salford Township.

        Tramadol, according to the National Institute of Health, is an opiate pain reliever for humans which is also prescribed for pets.

        The complaint stated the owner of the practice said approximately 200 Tramadol pills had gone missing since the fall at her office.  Taylor, she said, opened the bottle with the missing pills according to a log book she requires the employees to keep.

        Court papers went on to say 1,000 pills are in each bottle and when the owner counted the pills prescribed versus the pills left in the bottle, she reportedly found 143 pills were unaccounted for from September through December 2014.

        The owner then counted the pills in a bottle allegedly opened by Taylor in January and found 58 pills were missing, authorities said.

        Taylor, according to police, was the only person besides the owner authorized to have access to the double lock box where the drug was kept.

        Police said on Feb. 2 they went to the practice where they were told the pills were counted at the beginning of business.  After a patient was prescribed 60 pills, which were reportedly dispensed by Taylor, authorities said the owner found five more pills were missing.

        Authorities said Taylor denied knowledge of the missing pills, but later gave consent to search her belongings.  Troopers found four pills identical to those missing from the Tramadol bottle inside her purse, according to the complaint.