A Carmel doctor has been found not guilty of charges stemming from a high-profile Drug Enforcement Administration raid involving several medical clinics.
Judge Steve Nation found that Dr. Larry Ley had met all of the standards for prescribing medicine for drug addiction after a bench trial in Hamilton County Superior Court.
"There was no indication this was nothing other than prescribing for a legitimate medical purpose," said defense attorney Jim Crum. "They obviously didn't like the way he went about his practice, but every bit of evidence suggested he was treating people with opiate dependency, opiate addiction and prescribing appropriate doses."
Local police and DEA agents arrested doctors and staff affiliated with the Drug Opiate Recovery Network on charges of selling prescription painkillers to their patients in July 2014, The Indianapolis Star reported. Doctors in Delaware, Hamilton, Howard and Wayne counties had prescribed the medication for patients with drug addictions.
The case has been unraveling since the arrests as the defendants have maintained their innocence and questioned the validity of the accusations. Charges have been dismissed against nine of the 12 suspects.
The members are seeking monetary damages from drug agents, police agencies and cities involved in the arrests in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis.
Howard County prosecutors are still pursuing charges against Ley and Dr. Luella Bangura. Wayne County is pursuing charges against Ley and Dr. Ronald Vierk.
The newspaper couldn't reach officials with those prosecutor's offices for comment.
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