With trial approaching, warrants issued for Muncie pain clinic doctor's arrest
MUNCIE, Ind. — A physician who operated a pain clinic in Muncie was charged Wednesday with trying to bribe a potential witness at his upcoming Medicaid fraud trial.
William Hedrick, 62, of Fort Wayne, is charged in Delaware Circuit Court 1 with attempted bribery, attempted obstruction of justice, attempted aiding, inducing or causing perjury and harassment.
The most serious of those charges is a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison. After Wednesday's charges were filed, Judge Judi Calhoun issued a warrant for Hedrick's arrest.
His trial on the Medicaid fraud charge, filed in 2015, is set to begin Nov. 27 in Delaware Circuit Court 3.
According to an affidavit, a prospective witness in the case told authorities Hedricks had repeatedly contacted her about the upcoming trial in recent weeks, offering her cash to "work on my case."
More: Pain clinic doctor sentenced to two years house arrest
The woman said she received more than 20 text messages from the Indiana physician — in what prosecutors contend are "attempts to influence (her) potential testimony" — that "terrified" her.
“What can I do to make it worth your time?” Hedricks allegedly asked the woman.
On Tuesday, Delaware Circuit Court 3 Judge Doug Mawhorr also issued a warrant for the arrest of Hedricks, revoking the bond the physician posted following his January 2015 arrest on the fraud charge.
The warrant was issued in a response to a motion filed by Deputy Prosecutor Maricel Driscoll detailing Hedrick's alleged recent contact with the potential witness.
Authorities contend Hedrick and his Muncie clinic — known as Indiana Pain Center, which was located on Fox Ridge Lane — contributed to the deaths of eight people, including several from East Central Indiana, by overprescribing pain medication.
In a June 2018 trial, Delaware County jurors found Hendricks guilty of three counts of forgery and three counts of prescription-related registration offenses.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Zach Craig told jurors that Hedrick's practice, which saw hundreds of patients some days, presented "a clear and present danger to public health and safety."
Judge Linda Ralu Wolf, Mawhorr's predecessor on the Circuit Court 3 bench, in 2018 sentenced Hedricks to two years on electronic home detention, reportedly served at a home in Hamilton County.
The Medicaid fraud charge "relates to false or fraudulent information being submitted to the Indiana Medicaid program for reimbursement," according to the affidavit filed Wednesday.
Hedrick's license to practice medicine is suspended.
In a statement, Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman called Hedrick " a wanted fugitive," and asked anyone with information on his whereabouts to call the Delaware County Sheriff's Department at 765-747-7878.
"Mr. Hedrick, if you are reading this, turn yourself in (at) the Delaware County jail immediately," the prosecutor added.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Warrants issued for Muncie pain clinic doctor's arrest
