A Texarkana doctor is free on bond after being arrested by federal authorities on Tuesday.
Dr. Lonnie Parker was arrested by federal authorities Tuesday morning for the alleged over prescribing of controlled substances.
The government had asked for Parker to be held without bond.
Dr. Parker pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to court documents. He was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond during a detention hearing Wednesday afternoon.
According to court documents the case has been scheduled for trial by jury on November 20, 2019. Federal public defender Alex Wynn has been appointed to represent Parker.
A federal grand jury in the Western District of Arkansas indicted Dr. Parker on nine counts of Prescribing Without a Legitimate Medical Purpose Outside the Scope of a Professional Practice.
According to the Indictment, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Little Rock District Office (LRDO), Tactical Diversion and Diversion Groups initiated an investigation into Dr. Parker of Texarkana, Arkansas in 2018 after receiving complaints from local law enforcement about a suspected pill mill and possible overdose death of a patient. Investigators analyzed prescription drug monitoring data attributed to Dr. Parker, and the investigation revealed Dr. Parker was an over-prescriber of controlled substances, to include opiates, benzodiazepines, and promethazine with codeine cough syrup in the Texarkana area. In the two-year period analyzed, Dr. Parker prescribed approximately 1.2 million dosage units of opiates, including oxycodone and hydrocodone, to approximately 1,508 patients (approximately 847 dosage units per patient). Dr. Parker also prescribed approximately 16 gallons of Promethazine with Codeine cough syrup to approximately 29 patients during the same time period. These prescriptions included several prescriptions written in combination with narcotics and sedatives to high diversion risk patients.
Dr. Parker has been in legal trouble for over prescribing in the past. Parker has also been convicted of possessing child pornography.
An Indictment is merely an accusation. An arrest warrant represents a finding of probable cause. A person is presumed innocent unless or until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
