Indiana doctor reaches plea agreement in 'pill mill' case

PERU, Ind. (AP) - An Indiana doctor accused of operating a "pill mill" has reached a plea agreement that would include 10 years of probation but no prison time.

The Kokomo Tribune reports 70-year-old Dr. Tristan Stonger appeared Thursday in Miami County Circuit Court to plead guilty to five charges, including issuing an invalid prescription and insurance fraud. In exchange, 50 other charges will be dropped.

Judge Tim Spahr took the agreement under advisement ahead of a Nov. 30 hearing.

Investigators have said Stonger saw as many as 100 patients in a single day and traded pain pills for work on his farm. The charges followed a three-year investigation by the Drug Enforcement Agency, which spent months surveilling his Pain Management Centers of Indiana office in Peru.

He also operated Bloomington and Indianapolis offices.

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Information from: Kokomo Tribune, http://www.ktonline.com