A South Carolina doctor is not only facing felony DUI charges associated in the January death of a pedestrian, he is now charged with obtaining prescription drugs illegally. The doctor, employed by a family practice in Columbia, allegedly gave pharmacists prescription forms belonging to another physician. The other physician has denied any wrongdoing and denied writing the prescriptions for pain killers and sleeping pills. Those drug charges will soon be heard in a South Carolina criminal courtroom.
It is alleged the doctor obtained the prescriptions two days before the death of the pedestrian. Police reports from that incident report the doctor was not steady on his feet. However, his blood alcohol level was zero. Nevertheless, he was still charged with a DUI due to his purported behavior at the scene of the accident.
Due to the pending criminal allegations, the doctor has surrendered his medical license and has promised not to continue his work as a physician. He surrendered his license voluntarily 10 days after the fatal accident. For now, it is illegal for him to practice medicine in the state of South Carolina.
As with any criminal case, a careful review of the specific charges and the evidence prosecutors intend to use to prove them will be necessary. The accused man has the same legal rights that apply to any other individual accused of a crime in South Carolina. Nevertheless, the potentially significant consequences a drug charges conviction could bring mandate that every effort is made to ensure fair and impartial proceedings and that the accused man is offered every reasonable opportunity to contest the allegations and the evidence upon which they are based.
Source: thestate.com, “DHEC charges Columbia-area doctor with illegally getting drugs,” John Monk, June 26, 2013
