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Doctor Facing Federal Charges For Over-Prescribing Opioids To Dead Inmate

(REUTERS/Bryan Woolston)

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Nick Givas Media And Politics Reporter
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A Detroit physician is facing federal charges over allegedly over-prescribing opioids to a patient who later died from withdrawal.

60-year-old Bernard Shelton was charged with 21 counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and could be facing 20 years in prison with a $1 million fine, according to the local television station WDIV on Monday.

Shelton’s patient, 32-year-old David Stojcevski, died in 2015 after being detained in the Macomb County Jail for a traffic ticket. During his 17 days in prison he suffered from extreme weight loss and shed 50 pounds. He was neglected by the prison’s medical staff, despite being kept in a high observation unit.

Stojecvski’s death was captured on video and shows him twitching naked on the floor as he passed away. He was arrested for obstruction of justice as part of a careless driving charge, but couldn’t afford to pay the $772 fine and was sentenced to 30 days in jail instead.

Shelton has been in the country on a green card from Jamaica since 2006, officials said, and he had distributed a total of four million “addictive pills” to Macomb County residents, according to WDIV.

Stojcevski’s mother, Stephanie Stojcevski, said she wants justice for her dead son and anyone else who died of neglect in the Macomb County jail. She is currently enveloped in a lawsuit with the prison and feels Shelton is getting what he deserves.

“God is going to be with us,” she said. “God has a special room in the court, and they are supposed to be punished.”

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