Sunday, February 15, 2009
Letcher County Coroner To Step Down In Doctor Shopping Case.
Attorney General Jack Conway and his Office of Special Prosecutions today announced that Letcher County Coroner John Cornett has entered a plea of guilty to seven counts of unlawfully obtaining a prescription for a controlled substance by fraud, commonly known as “Dr. shopping.” The coroner is required to resign from his elected position today as part of the plea. Cornett’s wife, Andrea, a former nurse at Whitesburg Appalachian Regional Hospital, also pled guilty to four counts of theft of a controlled substance.
The Cornetts were indicted in November of 2008 following an investigation by both the Kentucky State Police and the Office of the Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations.
Letcher Circuit Court Judge Sam Wright sentenced Cornett and his wife to pre-trial diversion for a period of three years and both will undergo a drug/alcohol assessment and possible drug treatment. As part of his plea deal, John Cornett also agreed not to seek the office of Coroner during the period of his pre-trial diversion.
The Cornetts were indicted in November of 2008 following an investigation by both the Kentucky State Police and the Office of the Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations.
Letcher Circuit Court Judge Sam Wright sentenced Cornett and his wife to pre-trial diversion for a period of three years and both will undergo a drug/alcohol assessment and possible drug treatment. As part of his plea deal, John Cornett also agreed not to seek the office of Coroner during the period of his pre-trial diversion.
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 10:08 AM 
