A licensed practical nurse working in the medical triage area of Allegheny County Jail was arrested on the job today after police said he dispensed hundreds of pills of the painkiller Ultram to inmates without a prescription.

Paul Nicolaus Bohonok, 56, of Hazelwood, was charged with six counts of contraband possession and six counts of unlawful acts. In an affidavit, Allegheny County police said that today alone, he illegally dispensed 109 pills to inmates. He later admitted that he had been giving the drug to specific inmates without prescriptions for about a year and that he had illegally dispensed the 361 pills that jail investigators had recovered on inmates in the last two weeks.

Mr. Bohonok said he knew it was illegal to dispense the drug to inmates without a prescription, but told police he considered Ultram "glorified Motrin," the affidavit said.

He was arraigned and released from jail at 10 tonight. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for next Tuesday.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.