The Aporia · Ohio animal hospital owner accused of using dead dog’s name to obtain thousands of prescription pills

Ohio animal hospital owner accused of using dead dog’s name to obtain thousands of prescription pills

Read the original at The Independent ↗

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

Keane, I. (2026, October 11). Ohio animal hospital owner accused of using dead dog’s name to obtain thousands of prescription pills. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/ohio-animal-hospital-dead-dog-drugs-b3064841.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Dr. Kris L. Taylor, owner of Landings Animal Hospital in Avon Lake, Ohio, and his accomplice Camille Angulat-Nieto have been indicted on multiple felony charges related to obtaining thousands of prescription pills using the name of a deceased dog named Punkin. Prosecutors allege that between August 10, 2024, and June 7, 2025, Taylor and Angulat-Nieto wrote over 20 prescriptions for oxycodone and Alprazolam in Punkin’s name and had them filled at various pharmacies. Both were charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, deception to obtain dangerous drugs, and possession of controlled substances, among other felonies. Taylor was arrested and released on $500,000 bond; his court date is pending, and it is unclear if Angulat-Nieto has entered a plea.

Written by AI on 2026-10-11, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Dr. Kris L. Taylor, owner of Landings Animal Hospital in Avon Lake, Ohio, and his accomplice Camille Angulat-Nieto have been indicted on multiple charges related to obtaining thousands of prescription pills for a dead dog named "Punkin." Prosecutors allege that the pair wrote and filled over 20 prescriptions for oxycodone and alprazolam between August 2024 and July 2025, totaling nearly 2,000 tablets of oxycodone and around 90 alprazolam pills. The duo is charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, deception to obtain dangerous drugs, possession of controlled substances, and illegal processing of drug documents involving oxycodone and alprazolam, all classified as felonies. Taylor, 62, worked at the animal hospital as a veterinarian, while Angulat-Nieto's employment status remains unclear. Their next court dates are scheduled for October 23 and October 15 respectively.

Written for “Dead Dog Prescription Scam” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 17% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Owner of animal hospital charged with obtaining thousands of pills by writing prescriptions for dead dog Same event

Daily Mail

Hedges 4 of 13 claims Outlet record 69/100

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

17%

2 of 12 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

59/100

The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Crime & Law

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-10-11 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 3596 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)

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Isabel Keane

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 87 articles by Isabel Keane →

Topics

19 News Alprazolam Independent Lorain County Ohio

Subjects

Taylor PERSON · 4× Angulat-Nieto PERSON · 3× 19 News ORG · 2× Lorain County GPE · 2× Avon Lake GPE · 1× Camille Angulat-Nieto PERSON · 1× Independent ORG · 1× Kris L. Taylor PERSON · 1× Landings Animal Hospital ORG · 1× Ohio GPE · 1×

Narrative

Taylor and Angulat-Nieto were each charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, deception to obtain a dangerous drug, possession of oxycodone, illegal processing of drug documents involving oxycodone, deception to obtain a dangerous drug and illegal processing of drug documents involving alprazolam, all felonies.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-11

2026-10-11 · The Independent

Ohio animal hospital owner accused of using dead dog’s name to obtain thousands of prescription pills · assertive framing

Claims (12 extracted, 2 hedged)

The owner of an Ohio animal hospital and an accomplice have been indicted on multiple charges after prosecutors say he used the name of a dead dog to obtain thousands of prescription pills and other controlled substances. asserted

he → indict → pills

A grand jury in Lorain County indicted Dr. Kris L. Taylor and Camille Angulat-Nieto on seven counts after the pair allegedly took part in a scheme out of Landings Animal Hospital in Avon Lake, a suburb of Cleveland, according to reports. uncertain

pair → indict → reports

The pair are accused of repeatedly writing and filling prescriptions for oxycodone and Alprazolam, the generic form of Xanax, in the name of “Punkin,” a dog that is dead, according to an indictment obtained by 19 News. uncertain

that → accuse → News

Taylor, 62, owned the animal hospital and also worked there as a veterinarian. asserted

Taylor → own → veterinarian

Investigators say over 20 prescriptions for Oxycodone and Alprazolam were written for “Punkin” and filled at pharmacies across Northeast Ohio between August 10, 2024, and June 7, 2025. asserted

prescriptions → say → August

Taylor → charge → alprazolam

They were also charged with possession of alprazolam, which is a misdemeanor. asserted

which → charge → alprazolam

Lorain County sheriff’s deputies arrested Taylor on Tuesday, and he was released after posting a $500,000 cash or surety bond. asserted

he → arrest → bond

He was then placed under court-supervised release, 3News reported. asserted

3News → place → release

Court records show Taylor has pleaded not guilty to the charges. asserted

Taylor → show → charges

It was not immediately clear whether Angulat-Nieto entered a plea. asserted

Nieto → enter → plea

The hospital told 19 News that it plans to stay open. asserted

it → tell → News