A one-time “wellness ambassador” at a Butler pharmacy is accused of illegally obtaining more than $23,000 worth of a so-called “smart drug.”

District Judge William Fullerton on Tuesday issued city police a felony arrest warrant for Joseph P. Donovan, 37, of Butler Township on five counts of the acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge.

A district manager for Rite Aid in May notified police of a suspected employee theft at the store on South Main Street. The case involved six missing, 100-count bottles of modafinil.

Modafinil is the generic name for the wakefulness-promoting drug Provigil, which is approved for sleep disorders.

The drug is also regarded as a “cognitive enhancer” or “smart drug” that some people believe make them work more effectively.

Investigators suspect that in March and April he used the credentials of other authorized employees to order and receive six bottles of modafinil.

Each bottle is valued at $3,994 for a combined loss of $23,964, documents said.

A full report will appear in tomorrow's Butler Eagle.