A bizarre, blood-drawing hoax allegedly perpetrated by a Kansas University Pharmacy School graduate may include victims in Douglas County.

Corey Penner, 29, Newton, is charged in Harvey County with drawing blood from women for a nonexistent Kansas City-area doctor. Harvey County authorities have alerted their Douglas County counterparts of the possibility of victims also being in the Lawrence area.

What Penner did with the blood he obtained after paying the women to participate in the allegedly fictitious research study remains a mystery to Harvey County authorities.

Harvey County Atty. Matt Treaster wrote about Penner’s case to Douglas County Dist. Atty. Christine Kenney.

“I sent a letter so she’s at least aware of it,” Treaster said, noting that he doesn’t know yet if there are similar victims in the Lawrence area.

Treaster said Newton Police, who investigated the incidents, have reason to believe the blood hoax may have been going on for more than 10 years.

KU officials said Penner graduated in 1997 with a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy.

Kenney said she was passing on the information about Penner to the Kansas University Public Safety Department.

“I don’t have any information at this time that anything occurred here, but I thought it warranted making KU police aware of it,” Kenney said.

KU Police Lt. Schuyler Bailey said officers were unaware of the Penner case, but he said a meeting with Kenney was planned for later this week to discuss it.

Penner is charged in Harvey County with more than 30 counts of misdemeanor battery.

Though misdemeanor battery alleges touching in a “rude” or “insolent” manner, Treaster maintains it can be done in a fraudulent way.

The statute of limitations for the charge is two years, ruling out the same type of charge being filed in Lawrence if the hoax was done here that long ago, Treaster said.

Penner allegedly told the victims  virtually all women  that he was collecting the blood for a Kansas City-area doctor who was conducting a study about high blood pressure. Penner allegedly paid the victims $10 to $20 for the blood samples, Treaster said.

Someone called Newton Police after they became suspicious of Penner, Treaster said.

“They thought it was a little odd,” Treaster said.

Penner has been issued a summons and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on March 15.