CEO Mike Gower, five others arrested in multi-state prescription drug sting

Federal agents arrested the CEO of a north Georgia hospital on prescription drug charges. Five others are also under arrest, including two doctors.

Union County deputies, North Carolina law enforcement officers and Drug Enforcement Administration agents served six arrest warrants around Union County on Wednesday.

The arrests come after a nine-month-long, multi-state investigation into allegations of fraudulent prescriptions for painkillers.

Deputies hauled Union General Hospital’s CEO, Mike Gower, out in handcuffs. Gower is facing multiple prescription drug charges.

Police say one of the physicians arrested in the raid, Dr. James Heaton, wrote more than 15,000 fraudulent prescriptions for painkillers, like oxycodone, for Gower over a three-year period.

John Gowder, top, left, Gail Gowder, George Gowder, Virginia Harkins, Jamie Harkins and James Heaton

Agents say those prescriptions may have been filled in three different states.

 ”Just a lot of fraudulent scrips. There were some prescriptions that were either fake people they were writing prescriptions to, or there were fraudulent scrips or illegal scrips. We might say they were legal patients, but over-prescribing and writing way more amounts to the patients than what they can take, said Derrick Palmer with the Cherokee County, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies hauled out truckloads of documents from the hospital.

Four members of Gower’s family were also arrested in the sting.

Union County Sheriff Mack Mason says the case is far from over, but he hopes it doesn't give people a bad impression of what he says it a good hospital.

”It's unfortunate that this has transpired but we follow the evidence and we mean to follow it to the end, Mason said.

DEA agent Clyde Shelley says prescription drug abuse is a growing problem across Georgia.

”Two million people each year start their drug abuse with painkillers. Many heroin addicts start off becoming addicts for their abuse with prescription drugs, Shelley said.