On Saturday, June 16, the Lake Havasu City Police Department received several reports from area pharmacies that a male subject had utilized or attempted to utilize a fraudulent prescription to obtain narcotic drugs.   A gold colored minivan being driven by a female was also believed to be involved. The Lake Havasu City Police Department Street Crimes Unit and detectives from the Lake Havasu City Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit, which is part of the Mohave Area General Narcotics Enforcement Team (MAGNET), assisted with the investigation.

The male suspect, later identified as 27-year-old Phoenix resident Steven E. Mendez, returned to one of the pharmacies around 2:20 p.m., Saturday, while an officer was still on scene investigating the fraud.   Mendez was taken into custody without incident. 

A female suspect, later identified as 31-year-old Chicago resident Chiquita L. Brown, was contacted in the parking lot of the pharmacy as the driver of a gold colored minivan and arrested without incident.

Later in the evening, the Street Crimes Unit and Special Investigations Unit served a search warrant on the minivan. During the service of the search warrant, detectives located multiple fraudulently obtained prescription medications, receipts and fraudulent prescriptions.  

During the course of the investigation, it was learned that the subjects were involved in attempting to commit fraud throughout Mohave County and other cities in Arizona.  Mendez and Brown were both charged with fraudulently obtaining narcotic drugs, fraudulently obtaining prescription only drugs, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of prescription only drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, fraud schemes, forgery and identity theft.

During their initial appearances, Steven E. Mendez and Chiquita L. Brown were both held on a $30,000 bond and transferred to the custody of the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office. 

Booking photo of: Steven E. Mendez, Chiquita L. Brown