PAXTON — The owner of a compounding pharmacy in downtown Paxton had yet to respond Thursday to a foreclosure complaint alleging she defaulted on a $1.75 million mortgage she secured to acquire the pharmacy four years ago.
The Ford County Chronicle’s attempts to reach Dr. Jenna Vogel, the owner of Doug’s Compounding Pharmacy at 137 N. Market St., were unsuccessful Thursday as messages left with her business through email and voicemail were unreturned.
The pharmacy was not open Thursday, as its doors were locked and most of its lights were off. The pharmacy reportedly has been open only sporadically in recent months.
Meanwhile, Ford County Circuit Clerk Kamalen Johnson Anderson said Thursday that Vogel had not yet responded to a foreclosure complaint filed last August by attorneys for the Arkansas-based First Financial Bank against Vogel, her corporation 137 North Market Street LLC and her company Vogel’s Compounding Pharmacy PLLC.
Doug’s Compounding Pharmacy at 137 N. Market St. in downtown Paxton was closed Thursday, as its doors were locked and most of its lights were off. Its owner, Dr. Jenna Vogel, is facing a mortgage foreclosure.
According to a legal notice published in the Ford County Chronicle for three consecutive weeks in January, Vogel faces a default judgment against her unless she files an answer in the circuit clerk’s office or otherwise files an appearance in the case no later than Friday, Jan. 27.
According to the First Financial Bank’s foreclosure complaint — filed by attorneys Richard Stites and Benjamin Crowe of Bloomington-based Livingston, Barger, Brandt & Schroeder LLP — Vogel borrowed $1,755,000 from the bank through a commercial loan agreement signed Jan. 2, 2019.
However, Vogel “failed and refused” to make timely payments toward the mortgage — which has a maturity date of Jan. 2, 2032 — and as of May 20, 2022, still owed more than $1,601,841 with interest of $15.83 accruing daily, the complaint said.
“(The bank’s) rights to foreclose on its mortgage arises from (Vogel’s) failure to make the requirement payments when and as due under the note,” the complaint said. “(The bank) has given (Vogel) all required notices of the default and has duly accelerated the entire outstanding debt ….”
The bank seeks a judge’s order allowing the bank to sell the real estate via a judicial sale and requiring Vogel to pay the bank’s attorneys’ fees, plus declaratory and injunctive relief. In lieu of a judicial sale, the bank said it could accept Vogel’s forfeiture of the property’s title to satisfy the debt.
Meanwhile, real estate taxes for the pharmacy went unpaid in 2022, according to the Ford County Treasurer’s Office. The year prior, the pharmacy’s taxes had been paid in full, totaling $3,010.
Vogel purchased the pharmacy four years ago from its previous longtime pharmacist and owner, Doug Higgins, who established the business in 1997. According to the business’ website, Vogel began working as a pharmacy technician at age 16 while still in high school and became interested in compounding when she did an internship at Doug’s as a pharmacy student. Vogel earned her doctor of pharmacy degree in 2014 from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, graduating with honors. The website said she is married with two daughters.
“From addressing hormonal imbalance to pain management, adrenal fatigue to hospice and palliative care, our pharmacists collaborate with practitioners to provide customized medication solutions implementing the latest medical knowledge and state-of-the-art technology,” the pharmacy’s website said. “In addition to compounding, we offer a variety of complementary healthcare products and services, including durable medical equipment, hormone and neurotransmitter testing and aromatherapy.”
