DEPUTY GUILTY OF FORGING DRUG PRESCRIPTIONS.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer A Lancaster sheriff's deputy pleaded guilty Thursday to forging medical prescriptions for a muscle relaxant muscle relaxant an agent that specifically aids in reducing muscle tone. Most such agents inhibit the transmission of nerve impulses at the somatic neuromuscular junctions. They include tubocurarine, gallamine, pancuronium, succinylcholine and decamethonium bromide. and narcotic narcotic, any of a number of substances that have a depressant effect on the nervous system. The chief narcotic drugs are opium, its constituents morphine and codeine, and the morphine derivative heroin. See also drug addiction and drug abuse. painkiller and faces up to one year in jail and three years' probation. Deputy Adam Nathanson, who worked in the Lancaster sheriff's station crime prevention office when its duties included collecting pharmacists' reports of suspected prescription forgeries, accepted a plea bargain plea bargain n. in criminal procedure, a negotiation between the defendant and his attorney on one side and the prosecutor on the other, in which the defendant agrees to plead "guilty" or "no contest" to some crimes, in return for reduction of the severity of the in which six of 10 felony counts were dismissed. The prosecutor said Nathanson received no special consideration because he was a sheriff's deputy, but that his job and lack of a criminal record influenced their decision on the plea agreement. ``We definitely took into account that he was a police officer, but it would have been the same if he was a fireman or a businessman,'' said Deputy District Attorney Robert Dver. ``We basically looked at the fact that he had no priors and that he had a job. His history is crime-free.'' The deputy, an 18-year Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. veteran who had served eight years in Lancaster, must give up his law enforcement career because of the felony conviction. The department put him on paid leave Oct. 15. Nathanson, who is free on a written promise to appear in court, is expected to be sentenced May 10. ``We will leave it up to the judge as to the time you will receive,'' Dver said in the Los Angeles courtroom. ``We have no position.'' Nathanson's attorney said the deputy had developed a ``high tolerance'' to painkillers following injuries on duty, including several auto accidents, starting in the 1980s. Hirsch said Nathanson suffers from severe back pain and is expected to undergo several surgeries in the near future. ``Unfortunately, several doctors had overprescribed him medication,'' Hirsch said. ``He gained a high tolerance to the drugs.'' ``Adam is anxious to get on with his life,'' said Hirsch. ``He has been suspended from the department and would like to start a new career.'' Nathanson served in several positions in the Antelope Valley, including as a patrol officer, community relations officer and school deputy, in addition to the crime prevention office. Antelope Valley pharmacists faxed to the office copies of prescriptions and names of people they suspected were attempting to obtain drugs illegally. Nathanson was accused of using forged prescriptions 10 times between June 26 and Oct. 14, 1998. The prescriptions requested the drugs Norco, which contains hydrocodone, a semisynthetic semisynthetic /semi·syn·thet·ic/ (-sin-thet´ik) produced by chemical manipulation of naturally occurring substances. sem·i·syn·thet·ic adj. 1. narcotic analgesic analgesic (ăn'əljē`zĭk), any of a diverse group of drugs used to relieve pain. Analgesic drugs include the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as the salicylates, narcotic drugs such as morphine, and synthetic drugs and anti-cough medication similar to codeine codeine (kō`dēn), alkaloid found in opium. It is a narcotic whose effects, though less potent, resemble those of morphine. An effective cough suppressant, it is mainly used in cough medicines. Like other narcotics, codeine is addictive. , and Soma soma (sō`mə), psychotropic plant, the juice of which was sometimes drunk as part of the Vedic sacrifice (see Veda). Many hymns in the Rig-Veda are in praise of soma. , a muscle relaxant, officials said. Officials said that Nathanson used preprinted prescription pads from two doctors outside of the Antelope Valley area, wrote prescriptions for drugs he wanted and presented them to several pharmacies. |
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