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Office of the Attorney General
Johnson County Constable Pleads Guilty to Charges of "Doctor Shopping"
Attorney General Jack Conway and his Drug Investigations Branch announce the guilty plea and sentencing of Johnson County Constable Terry Ward on charges he unlawfully obtained a prescription for a controlled substance by fraud, also known as "doctor shopping."
The 46-year-old Ward pled guilty on August 6, 2010 in Johnson Circuit Court to four counts of unauthorized procurement of a controlled substance 1st offense, a Class D felony. Ward has been sentenced to three years, withheld on supervised probation for a period of five years. As a condition of his probation, Ward must also serve 90 days in the county jail or enroll and complete an in-house rehabilitation program.
A Johnson County grand jury indicted Ward on April 15, 2010 on charges he attempted to obtain hydrocodone, a Schedule III controlled substance, from multiple doctors in Johnson County. Paintsville City Police and Operation Unlawful Narcotics Investigation Treatment and Enforcement (UNITE) arrested Ward without incident the following day.
Ward's indictment and arrest were the result of a six-month investigation by General Conway's Drug Investigations Branch, with assistance from Operation UNITE.
"I appreciate the hard work of my Drug Investigation's Branch and our continuing partnership with Operation UNITE as we crack down on prescription drug abuse in Kentucky," General Conway said. "By working together, we can put a stop to a problem that is shattering families across the Commonwealth."
The office of Johnson County Commonwealth's Attorney Anna Melvin prosecuted the case. Melvin serves the 24th Judicial Circuit representing Johnson, Lawrence and Martin counties.
Since General Conway took office in January 2008, his Drug Investigations Branch has opened more than 365 cases, made 118 arrests 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.
Terry Ward, 47
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