Office of the Attorney General
Johnson County Constable Indicted on Charges of "Doctor Shopping"

Attorney General Jack Conway today announced the indictment and arrest of Johnson County Constable Terry Ward on charges he unlawfully obtained a prescription for a controlled substance by fraud, also known as "doctor shopping." A Johnson County grand jury indicted Ward on Thursday, April 15, 2010 on four counts of unauthorized procurement of a controlled substance 1st offense, a Class D felony.

Ward, 47, was arrested without incident today in Williamsport by officers with Attorney General's office, Paintsville City Police and Operation Unlawful Narcotics Investigation Treatment and Enforcement (UNITE). He is lodged in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center on a $5,000 cash bond.

Ward's indictment and arrest are the result of a six-month investigation by General Conway's Drug Investigations Branch, with assistance from Operation UNITE. Ward is accused of trying to obtain hydrocodone, a Schedule III controlled substance, from multiple doctors in Johnson County.

Since General Conway took office in January 2008, his Drug Investigations Branch has opened more than 325 cases and participated in 14 drug round-ups. Additionally, General Conway launched Kentucky's first statewide Prescription Drug Diversion Task Force to investigate prescription drug trafficking, overprescribing physicians, doctor shopping and illegal out-of-state pharmacies. The task force participated in the largest drug sweep in Kentucky history in October 2009.

A charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Terry Ward, 47