RENSSELAER, IN — Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced Wednesday that he filed a petition to suspend a Rensselaer doctor’s license to prescribe controlled substances.
In the petition filed on July 3, the Office of Attorney General said it has received consumer complaints against Dr. Patrick Sheets between Dec. 31, 2023, and July 11, 2024, which prompted an investigation.
“The investigation uncovered that (Sheets’) actions represent a clear and immediate danger to the public’s health, safety, or property if allowed to continue to practice,” the petition said.
The FBI served a warrant alongside the Drug Enforcement Administration on June 17 at Sheets’ practice, 123 S. McKinley Ave. in Rensselaer. The FBI served a second warrant later that day at 529 Fleming Blvd., owned by Laurence Sheets, according to property records. An FBI spokesperson said they could not comment on whether the two searches were related.
The OAG said in the petition that based on information provided, Sheets allowed staff members of his practice to control and use his controlled substances fob, or access key, with “little to no oversight.” Sheets also allowed the fob to be placed in non-secure locations, the petition said, such as an unlocked mailbox outside of the office.
The OAG said it also received information that Sheets prescribed legend drugs and controlled substances to patients without a patient visit or evaluation. Sheets also prescribed Adderall for weight loss, the petition said, as well as “addictive and dangerous drugs” to a known addict.
Sheets also engaged in romantic relationships with employees and patients, the petition said, while simultaneously prescribing controlled substances to those individuals.
The OAG said it also found reason to believe Sheets was not properly maintaining medical records.
“(Sheets) failed to secure patient health care records and allowed them to be kept in an unlocked shed and other areas that made them susceptible to breach of confidentiality,” the petition said. “(Sheets) asked one or more prior employees to fabricate medical records for one or more patients.”
On March 6, the OAG said CVS terminated Sheets’ ability to fill prescriptions for patients at any CVS pharmacy. On June 12, the Jasper County Health Department issued a vacate order for Sheets’ Rensselaer practice, the petition said, where the order noted the property had “no running water, no working sewage and no electricity.”
In a complaint filed with the OAG on Dec. 31, 2023, the complainant said their mother had been prescribed controlled substances several times by Sheets, despite his knowing she was an addict who had been arrested twice and entered rehab three times in the previous 18 months.
“I notified them in the past that she was addicted to meds and using alcohol. I also told them she was an alcoholic. But they continue to prescribe,” the complaint said. “She lives in Port Saint Joe, Florida. They have even prescribed medication to her without even visiting or seeing the doctor before. Last refill of controlled substance was 12/8/2023 of 90(-day) supply of alprazolam.”
In the section of the form that asked what the attorney general should do, the complainant said, “Stop giving (my mother) any medical attention or advice. Please help before she kills herself or someone else by driving impaired.”
In a second complaint filed on March 21, 2024, that complainant said Sheets was their family physician, noting that over time he’d become more of a friend than a doctor.
“He tried to force me to do illegal things for him to keep receiving my medications,” the complainant said. “He prescribed me controlled substances and then made me give him some of the pills for himself.”
In a third complaint filed on July 11, 2024, that complainant said they believed Sheets was engaging in medical billing fraud. The complainant also stated they’d hear rumors that Sheets “trades drugs for favors and sex.”
“Protecting Hoosiers from unsafe medical practices is a top priority,” Rokita said in the release. “The allegations against Dr. Sheets, if substantiated, indicate a pattern of reckless behavior that endangers patients and undermines public trust in health care. We are taking swift action to hold this doctor accountable.”
The OAG will present its petition for summary suspension at the Indiana Board of Pharmacy meeting on July 14, the release said, seeking to suspend Sheets’ license for up to 90 days while investigations and proceedings continue.
Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Indiana AG: Rensselaer doctor traded prescription drugs for sex, prescribed to addicts
Reporting by Jillian Ellison, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
