Doctor wanted for drug charges found in Colorado

On behalf of David Lindsey, Attorney at Law posted in Drug Charges on Thursday, July 28, 2011.

A doctor accused of distributing controlled substances to people without a medical need was caught recently in Colorado. After posting his bail in Georgia, he fled to Colorado and managed to avoid law enforcement for more than four months.

The 71-year-old doctor was accused of federal drug crimes in Georgia earlier this year. The investigation into his drug crimes did not begin until a patient of his was caught selling a controlled drug in the parking lot of the doctor’s office. He pled guilty in early February to two counts of drug distribution. The controlled substance in question was codeine syrup, a main ingredient in a drink colloquially known as “purple drank.”

After pleading guilty and posting his $25,000 bail, he left Georgia and began living in a home in Ridgway, Colorado. A U.S. magistrate ordered him to remain in southeast Georgia where he was currently living. After he did not report to probation officials on several appointed dates, an investigation into his whereabouts began.

When he was found in Colorado, U.S. marshals worked with Ouray County sheriff deputies to make the arrest. Locating him at his residence in Ridgway, they stopped him as he left his home in a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Officers who made the arrest found a loaded .45-caliber handgun in the front seat of the vehicle. In the bed of the truck were two more revolvers, a .22-caliber and a .45-caliber. Seventy rounds of ammunition were recovered as well as more than half a dozen shotgun shells.

As this case shows, police in Colorado take drug crimes very seriously. However, not everyone who is accused of committing a drug crime is guilty. Under the law, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. If you are facing drug charges, it is very important to understand your rights and options.

Source: The Augusta Chronicle, “Fugitive Georgia doctor captured in Colorado,” Teresa Stepzinski, 13 July 2011