Two North Georgia physicians who were arrested early last month as part of an ongoing prescription drug investigation now face charges in North Carolina.
Drs. John Michael Gowder and James Lanier Heaton were arrested Wednesday, according to a social media post from the Cherokee County (N.C.) Sheriff's Office.
The post said that the joint investigation that led to the pair's arrest in early February later revealed that the doctors were actually "operating their fraudulent drug activities" out of Cherokee County.
Gowder, 58, is the current CEO of Union General Hospital in Union County, and was placed on paid administrative leave following his arrest on February 4th. Heaton, 59, was also a physician at Union General when he was arrested alongside Gowder, although his status with the hospital is unknown at this time.
Cherokee County authorities were able to obtain indictments against the pair, who were arrested a short time later. Both men now face five counts of "Trafficking in Opium or Heroin" and five counts of "Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Forgery."
A bond of $500,000 was issued for both men, with only Gowder having posted bond by the time this report was published.
Cherokee County Sheriff Derrick Palmer issued a brief statement on the isse following the pair's arrests.
“We want to thank the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations Drug Division Unit, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, and the DEA for partnering with us on this investigation," he said. "Again, we are going after the folks who are running drugs in Cherokee County and won’t stop until we catch all we can to make Cherokee County safe for our folks.”
Gowder and Heaton were among six individuals, all current or former employees of Union General, arrested last month on charges of writing and filling fake prescriptions, mostly for oxycodone. You can find more information on that story here.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/3/374462/n-ga-doctors-arrested-on-drug-charges-for-second-time-in-a-month