Georgia Attorney Busted

An attorney from Georgia has been busted for trying to sell prescription drugs. The story is here.

Mark Shelnutt, from Columbus, was arrested on eight counts of Distribution of a Controlled Substance. Shelnutt tried to sell Oxycodone, Xanax and Hydrocodone.

Oxycodone is in a group of drugs called narcotic pain relievers. It is similar to morphine. Xanax is in a group of drugs called benzodiazepines. It is used in the treatment of anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and anxiety caused by depression. Hydrocodone is a Schedule III controlled substance, and the generic name for Vicodin.




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Wisconsin Attorney's License to Practice Law Suspended Due to Drugs

When people become addicted to illegal substances, bad things are usually the result. There is the possibility of police involvement leading to arrest and conviction. Addiction problems affect work performance, and if the addict is an attorney, then clients may suffer. Attorney misconduct as a result of illegal drug use therefore often results in disbarment. Such is the case with Stephen Compton.

Compton’s license to practice law was recently suspended for two years. The story is here.
Compton is a Wisconsin attorney from Walworth County who pled guilty last year to felony charges of possession of narcotics and bail jumping. He was sentenced to three years probation, but that did not prevent the state supreme court for suspending his license.

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Nevada District Attorney Arrested for DUI - Again

When you fall asleep in your car in Pahrump, Nevada, make sure it is not within the watchful eyes of former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss. Two years ago, Fleiss was prosecuted by the Nye County District Attorney’s office for being under the influence of drugs. Now Fleiss returned the favor by tipping off police about a suspicious car parked along her secluded block. The car belonged to Nye County District Attorney Bob Beckett, who was passed out in the front seat. Here is the story from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

After being roused from his slumber, Beckett failed a field sobriety test and was arrested. A breath test recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.12 percent, which is above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Sadly, Beckett was already on probation for an alcohol related driving incident in 2008, which occurred in California. Under the terms of that earlier probation, Beckett is prohibited from operating a motor vehicle with alcohol in his system. What will happen to him now? We will have to wait and see.


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Washington Attorney “Smacked” Down

What’s with attorneys smuggling heroin into prison? (See last post). According to Heraldnet.com, a Washington attorney was arrested for trying to smuggle heroin into a county jail. Why? Because he himself was addicted to smack, and he was able to keep a cut for his own personal use.

The 63 year old attorney is said to have become addicted to prescription pain killers, and then heroin. He somehow worked out a deal with prisoners to bring them dope as long as he could keep a portion for his own use. Before his arrest he resigned as a result of misconduct.

Heroin is highly addictive. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, and by changes in the brain. Heroin has increased in purity and decreased in price. Afterall, even prisoners can afford it.



For more info on heroin use and addiction, click here.

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Substance Abuse CLE Adds New Lesson On Methamphetamines

Substance Abuse CLE provides quality and easily affordable continuing legal education classes that satisfy the MCLE requirement of the California Bar Association pertaining to the Prevention of Substance Abuse in the Legal Profession.

Substance Abuse CLE has just added a new lesson entitled An Attorney's Struggle With Methamphetamines. The purpose of this activity is to fulfill the California State Bar Rule 2.72 (A)(3) requirement by providing one hour of self-study credit in the prevention of substance abuse in the legal profession. Most lessons fulfilling this requirement provide generalized information on substance abuse, or are geared toward alcohol abuse and addiction. This new lesson focuses on facts about methamphetamine use and addiction by presenting a true case study about a California attorney’s struggle with methamphetamine addiction, the resulting misconduct, his resignation from the bar, and his recovery and petition for reinstatement to the bar.

This activity was approved by the California State Bar on July 16, 2010 for the period July 15, 2010 to July 14, 2012. The California State Bar provider number of Substance Abuse CLE is 15199.

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Attorney Accused of Smuggling Heroin-filled Condom into Prison

Does representing a criminal defendant include the responsibility for smuggling drugs? Possibly one defense attorney thought being an advocate for his client meant ensuring his client would be comfortable in prison. Or, he wanted to make sure his client had protection against unsafe sex. But it was no ordinary condom he tried to provide - it was a condom stuffed with heroin. And worse, the attorney had successfully done it many times before. The story is here.



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