A psychiatrist in Marble Falls has been indicted for allegedly prescribing and delivering drugs for non-medical purposes. The 84-year-old psychiatrist is accused of providing the drugs to two individuals on three separate occasions. He was booked at Burnet County Jail and charged for three counts of fraudulent delivery of a controlled substance.
The first drug delivery is reported to have taken place on April 1, 2013 after the accused man wrote someone a prescription for Phentermine. At the end of the month, the man allegedly provided a second person with the same drug. The man is also accused of providing the second individual with Hydrocodone on May 15. It is unclear what dosages of the prescription drugs the man is accused of providing or how long the recipients may have been his patients.
Previously, the accused man had been the subject of two other grand jury indictments that took place in April of 2010 and May of 2011. Both indictments concerned sexual misconduct with patients. Although both charges against him were later dismissed, the psychiatrist did receive a public reprimand by the Texas Medical Board. He also agreed to complete a University of California San Diego Physician Assessment and Clinical Education program course on professional boundaries.
If the psychiatrist believes he has been falsely charged, details such as patient history may be an important part of his defense. It’s possible that the recipients of the drugs provided the psychiatrist with false information in order to obtain them. His attorney may also argue that the psychiatrist was unaware the drugs were being used for a non-medical purpose.
Source: Daily Tribune, “Marble Falls psychiatrist indicted on drug charges“, January 22, 2014
