Ex-Muncie pain doctor strikes deal, pleads guilty to medicaid fraud, obstruction of justice
MUNCIE, Ind. — A legal saga that began nearly a decade ago appeared to move toward a conclusion this week when a physician who operated a pain clinic in Muncie pleaded guilty to four criminal charges.
William Perry Hedrick, 62, most recently of Fort Wayne, on Monday pleaded guilty to unlawful dispensation of controlled substances, Medicaid fraud, obstruction of justice and harassment.
A plea agreement was signed by Hedrick, his attorneys and Deputy Prosecutor Maricel Driscoll on April 25. It calls for dismissal of seven pending charges — unlawful dispersion of a controlled substance, attempted bribery, attempted aiding, inducing or causing perjury and four counts of corrupt business influence.
Hedrick's medical office on Fox Ridge Lane — known Indiana Pain Center — opened in July 2013.
Authorities alleged his clinics in Indiana contributed to the deaths of eight people by overprescribing pain medications.
On Oct. 20, 2014, Hedrick's Muncie clinic was raided by the Muncie Police Department, agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and state licensing officials.
In June 2018, a Delaware Circuit Court 3 jury found Hedrick guilty of three counts of forgery and three counts of prescription-related registration offenses. He was later sentenced to two years on electronic home detention by then-Judge Linda Ralu Wolf.
During the 2018 trial, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Zach Craig told jurors that Hedrick's clinic, which saw hundreds of patients some days, presented "a clear and present danger to public health and safety."
When his trial date on the remaining Medicaid fraud charge approaching last year, prosecutors said the physician — whose license to practice medicine in Indiana has been suspended — repeatedly contacted a prospective witness in the case.
That led to two of the charges, obstruction of justice and harassment, Hedrick pleaded guilty to on Monday.
Three of the counts Hedrick pleaded guilty to are felonies. The harassment count is a misdemeanor.
Judge Doug Mawhorr took the plea agreement under advisement and tentatively set sentencing for June 13.
The plea deal specifies the sentences for two of the convictions — unlawful dispensation of controlled substances and Medicaid fraud — will be decided by the judge and will served consecutively. Both counts are Class D felonies carrying up to three years in prison.
The agreement also specifies that the sentences for the obstruction-of-justice and harassment convictions will be suspended.
Hedrick has been held in the Delaware County Jail since last November.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ex-Muncie pain doctor strikes deal, enters guilty pleas
