Pinnacle doctor back in court

Published 8:58 am Thursday, October 9, 2014

The doctor of a former Ironton pain clinic made another appearance in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court, this time answering recent charges in a second indictment filed last month.

Adam P. Hall pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to first-degree engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, first-degree conspiracy to engage in a pattern of corrupt activity, third-degree tampering with evidence, fifth-degree practicing osteopathy without a certificate and fifth-degree complicity to practicing osteopathy without a certificate.

Judge Charles Cooper set bond at $100,000 own-recognizance and $10,000 cash or surety to be paid within 30 days.

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Prosecuting Attorney Brigham Anderson recommended the additional surety bond, as Hall is a resident of Florida.

Cooper also continued another $100,000 OR bond from a related case.

Anderson made a motion that the two cases be consolidated, which the judge granted.

The other indictment, filed in August, charges Hall with five second- and three third-degree counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs, fifth-degree forgery, a fourth- and fifth-degree count of illegal processing of drug documents and a fifth-degree count of permitting drug abuse.

Cooper set a pretrial in the case for Dec. 10.

Hall is accused of operating Pinnacle Wellness and Longevity Center LLC, on South Third Street, as a pill mill from March 2007 to March 2013, where prescriptions were allegedly sold for money, with no medical justification and at times patrons would not even see a licensed doctor to obtain their prescriptions.

Hall allegedly would only operate the clinic a few days a month and sometimes would not be present. Patrons still received prescriptions purported to be from Hall, however, according to the indictment.

The indictments follow a three-year investigation by the Lawrence Drug and Major Crimes Task Force, the county prosecutor’s and sheriff’s offices, Ironton Police Department, bureau of criminal investigations, state pharmacy board, state medical board, drug enforcement agency and the state attorney general’s office.

The business was shut down in March 2013 after search warrants were issued to seize patient records and other information. Hall’s medical license was subsequently suspended.