CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri doctor has pleaded guilty to unlawfully prescribing drugs in a case that stems from an undercover investigation.
The Southeast Missourian reports that Dr. Michael Jessup entered the plea Monday. At issue is how he prescribed the opioid painkiller hydrocodone and the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam.
The indictment says an undercover officer visited the Cape Girardeau area gynecologist in 2016, pretending to have hip pain similar to what people would experience with sciatica.
The plea agreement says Jessup prescribed pain medication without requesting medical records or formulating a treatment plan. Prosecutors say Jessup then increased the dosage during five follow-up exams in which he never asked how the officer's hip was doing or why the drugs weren't detected in urine tests. Physical therapy was never recommended.
Sentencing is set for Feb. 19.