Officer pleads guilty
by By David Rupkalvis
(Posted 8/25/2009 04:38 pm)
Former Graham police officer Michael Kent Barnett pleaded guilty Friday to four counts of fraudulent possession of a controlled substance.
Under a plea agreement with District Attorney Brenda Gray, Barnett received five years of deferred adjudication and agreed to voluntarily give up his peace officer’s license and paramedic’s license.
Barnett was arrested earlier this year after being caught trying to used forged prescriptions to obtain Lorcet, a narcotic painkiller containing acetaminophen and hydrocodone. Gray said the four charges included a charge for each pharmacy a fraudulent prescription was filled at.
Gray said she accepted the plea in part because it will keep Barnett from ever working as a police officer or paramedic again.
“It was part, and they’re permanent,” Gray said. “Plus, there’s some very special terms in there. One of them, he has to notify all medical personnel of his wrongdoings.”
The terms of probation in the agreement include many of the common terms including reimbursing the county its expenses, attending meetings of Narcotics Anonymous and reporting for community supervision every month.
But Gray did not stop there. In addition, terms were added that include a requirement to turn over a list of all medical personnel who have prescribed medication to Barnett in the last year. Barnett is also required to maintain a list of all medication he receives while on supervision, notify his doctors that he is on supervision for fraudulent possession of a controlled substance, and Barnett is not allowed to work or volunteer where he has access to medication. In addition, Barnett is not allowed to have a prescription filled without first presenting it to community supervision.
Gray said she agreed to a plea with no jail time because the crime hurt only Barnett. She said the medicine he received was for personal use and was not sold or shared with others.
“The investigation did not yield anything that would make me believe anything else,” Investigator Jim Reeves said.
Reeves led the investigation into Barnett’s offense after Police Chief Tony Widner was told Barnett might be illegally filling prescriptions. To avoid even a hint of impropriety, Widner called Gray and asked the DA’s office to investigate the case. Reeves said Barnett cooperated fully during the investigation.
When he was arrested, Barnett was fired from his position with the Graham Police Department.
by By David Rupkalvis
(Posted 8/25/2009 04:38 pm)
Former Graham police officer Michael Kent Barnett pleaded guilty Friday to four counts of fraudulent possession of a controlled substance.
Under a plea agreement with District Attorney Brenda Gray, Barnett received five years of deferred adjudication and agreed to voluntarily give up his peace officer’s license and paramedic’s license.
Barnett was arrested earlier this year after being caught trying to used forged prescriptions to obtain Lorcet, a narcotic painkiller containing acetaminophen and hydrocodone. Gray said the four charges included a charge for each pharmacy a fraudulent prescription was filled at.
Gray said she accepted the plea in part because it will keep Barnett from ever working as a police officer or paramedic again.
“It was part, and they’re permanent,” Gray said. “Plus, there’s some very special terms in there. One of them, he has to notify all medical personnel of his wrongdoings.”
The terms of probation in the agreement include many of the common terms including reimbursing the county its expenses, attending meetings of Narcotics Anonymous and reporting for community supervision every month.
But Gray did not stop there. In addition, terms were added that include a requirement to turn over a list of all medical personnel who have prescribed medication to Barnett in the last year. Barnett is also required to maintain a list of all medication he receives while on supervision, notify his doctors that he is on supervision for fraudulent possession of a controlled substance, and Barnett is not allowed to work or volunteer where he has access to medication. In addition, Barnett is not allowed to have a prescription filled without first presenting it to community supervision.
Gray said she agreed to a plea with no jail time because the crime hurt only Barnett. She said the medicine he received was for personal use and was not sold or shared with others.
“The investigation did not yield anything that would make me believe anything else,” Investigator Jim Reeves said.
Reeves led the investigation into Barnett’s offense after Police Chief Tony Widner was told Barnett might be illegally filling prescriptions. To avoid even a hint of impropriety, Widner called Gray and asked the DA’s office to investigate the case. Reeves said Barnett cooperated fully during the investigation.
When he was arrested, Barnett was fired from his position with the Graham Police Department.
