Athens doctor, patients arrested for prescription fraud, extortion

Athens doctor, patients arrested for prescription fraud, extortion

ATHENS (WATE) -- An Athens doctor and three others were arrested Thursday after they were indicted on charges including prescription fraud, extortion, conspiracy and filing false reports.

Dr. Rodney Dunham, 56, was indicted on one count of dispensing prescriptions by fraud.

Dr. Dunham ran a walk-in clinic on Congress Parkway in Athens. The Tennessee Department of Health Related Boards suspended his license in October.

Investigators say Dunham and Laura Cheek, 19, of Athens, were exchanging sex for prescription drugs.

Laura Cheek is charged with getting prescriptions by fraud, extortion, conspiracy to get prescriptions by fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion and filing false reports.

Her mother, Patricia Cheek, 42, of Etowah, was a patient of Dr. Dunham's. She's indicted for getting prescriptions by fraud, extortion, conspiracy to get prescriptions by fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion.

Laura Cheek's neighbor, John Virgil Davis, 26, of Athens, was also one of Dr. Dunham's patients.

Davis is charged with getting prescriptions by fraud, extortion, conspiracy to get prescriptions by fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion and filing false reports.

The trio threatened to expose Dr. Dunham's relationship with Laura Cheek so they could get prescription drugs.

Laura Cheek and Davis also filed a police report in August alleging that she'd been raped, but she didn't name her attacker. All the crimes allegedly took place between May 2009 and September.

All four are being held in the McMinn County Justice Center.

Dunham's bond is set at $8,000. The other three bonds are set at $25,000 each.

The arraignments are scheduled for November 30.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Athens Police Department conducted the investigation for several months.