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Braintree Police Detective Warned Doctor About Drugs; Physician Told to 'Stop Dealing to Entire S. Shore'

Posted on: Wednesday, 31 August 2005, 18:00 CDT

The Patriot Ledger

A Sandwich doctor arrested this week on drug charges was questioned earlier this year by a Braintree detective for allegedly prescribing OxyContin to drug addicts and drug dealers.

The state Board of Registration in Medicine said yesterday that it had suspended the license of Dr. Michael R. Brown, 52.

The board wrote that Brown "represents an immediate and serious threat to the health, safety and welfare of the public."

In an affidavit, medical board investigator Anne Vacca stated that Braintree Detective Mark Sherrick told her that he became aware of Brown while investigating an influx of OxyContin in Braintree last fall.

Sherrick told Vacca that Brown had prescribed OxyContin for many addicts and dealers under investigation.

In January, the detective went to a CVS Pharmacy in Braintree and obtained a list of Brown's patients who had prescriptions filled. The detective told the investigator that he recognized some of the names as drug addicts and dealers.

After learning that Sherrick was looking for him, Brown called the detective and denied any wrongdoing. The doctor offered to fax Sherrick the medical records of nine individuals he was being questioned about.

"Detective Sherrick advised Dr. Brown to stop dealing OxyContin to the entire South Shore," Vacca wrote.

The doctor allegedly told Sherrick that a Weymouth physician had closed his practice and had referred several patients to him.

Vacca stated she learned from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration that Brown was the top prescriber of oxycodone products in Massachusetts this past December and January. Oxycodone is the active ingredient in OxyContin.

Of the 922,985 oxycodone-product tablets dispensed at Massachusetts pharmacies last year, 288,859 were OxyContin pills prescribed by Brown.

A Cape Cod pharmacist told Vacca that she thought it was unusual that most of Brown's patients were prescribed medication for lower- back pain, given that Brown is a doctor of internal medicine.

In 2000, the Board of Registration in Medicine warned Brown about his prescribing practices and recommended continuing education, which he completed a year later.

With the help of an informant, Barnstable police arrested Brown this week following an investigation conducted in conjunction with the DEA.

The informant told investigators that Brown was prescribing OxyContin and hydrocodone - a similar opioid painkiller - for him.

Brown was addicted to hydrocodone and once swallowed 10 tablets at once, the informant said.

The informant said he would get prescriptions filled and then give the hydrocodone to Brown.

On July 1, investigators set up surveillance equipment in the informant's home and allegedly taped Brown arriving, then leaving with a plastic bag containing 87 yellow hydrocodone pills.

When Barnstable police stopped his Jaguar and arrested Brown on Monday, they allegedly found drugs: an assortment of prescription pills on the floor and drugs including Viagra, Cialis, Protonix and Advair in a plastic shopping bag on the back seat.

Police reported finding $29,900 in cash in a plastic bag on the rear seat and $31,290 in a plastic bag in the trunk. The currency consisted of $100, $50, $20, $10 and $5 bills.

Also in the trunk were patient MRI images and X-rays, some of which were unopened.

Illegible patient records and prescription pads were on the front passenger seat, and empty beer and wine bottles were scattered inside the car, police said.

The doctor allegedly told police that he was taking the drugs to a friend.

Brown was arraigned on drug-possession and drug-dealing charges Tuesday in Barnstable District Court.

At the time of his arrest, Brown had assault charges pending in Barnstable court.

He was arrested on Aug. 4 after an altercation with reporters outside his Sandwich office.

Brown may appeal his license suspension to the Division of Administrative Law Appeals.

He graduated from Boston University School of Medicine in 1979 and has been practicing since 1980. He has privileges at Falmouth Hospital.

Dennis Tatz may be reached at dtatz@ledger.com.

Source: Patriot Ledger, The; Quincy, Mass.

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