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Posted: 4:01 AM Nov 20, 2009
Athens Doctor, 3 patients arrested in sexual for prescriptions scam
A McMinn County doctor and three of his patients have been arrested on various prescription fraud charges.
Reporter: Nick BonaEmail Address: nick.bona@wvlt-tv.com |
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MCMINN COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) – A McMinn County doctor and three of his patients have been arrested on various prescription fraud charges.
Dr. Rodney Dunham, 56 of Athens, Laura Cheek, 19 of Athens, Patricia Cheek, 41 of Etowah and John Virgil Davis, 26 of Athens were all recently indicted by the 10th Judicial District Grand Jury.
The Athens Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed Thursday they had been investigating all four over the last several months.
According to the TBI, Dr. Dunham ran an Athens walk-in clinic until his license was suspended in October. In May he allegedly began exchanging prescriptions for sex with Laura Cheek.
Their relationship lasted until September. At some point during it, Cheek, her mother Patricia and Davis apparently went to Dunham and threatened to expose the arrangement unless he also wrote them illegal prescriptions.
Earlier this week, the grand jury indicted Dunham on one count of dispensing prescriptions fraud.
Patricia Cheek was indicted for obtaining prescriptions by fraud, extortion, conspiracy to obtain prescriptions by fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion.
Laura Cheek and Davis received the same charges as her mother. The pair was also indicted for filing false police reports in August alleging she had been raped. The TBI said she did not name her attacker.
All four were booked into the McMinn County Jail on Thursday. Dunham’s bond was set at $8,000 while the three others were set at $25,000 each. They are scheduled for arraignment on November 30th.
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