HARRISBURG – A York County doctor was arrested today by state narcotics agents for allegedly filling prescription pain medication for his own personal use.
Attorney General Tom Corbett identified the defendant as Dr. Richard L. Davis, 53 of New Cumberland.
Corbett said agents with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation received a complaint on March 29, 2007 that Dr. Davis had been calling in hydrocodone prescriptions for himself and various members of his family, including his wife, to the Rite Aid Pharmacy at 105 Old York Road, New Cumberland.
According to the court documents, the investigation revealed that Dr. Davis had allegedly called in, picked up, and paid cash for at least 30 hydrocodone prescriptions between Jan. 7, 2006 and March 25, 2007.
Corbett said the investigation revealed that the family members were unaware of Dr. Davis’s alleged activity and that the prescriptions were being filled using their name.
“Prescription drug abuse is a rising problem not only in Pennsylvania, but across the country,” Corbett said. “People need to open their eyes to the fact that because these drugs are prescribed by someone in a white coat does not mean they aren’t as addictive and as easily abused as street drugs.”
Dr. Davis was charged with one continuing count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.
Davis was arraigned by Lewisberry Magisterial District Judge Scott Gross and released on his own recognizance. He waived his preliminary hearing.
The case will be prosecuted by York County District Attorney Stanley Rebert’s Office.