New law will allow officers to make arrests in emergency-room assaults that they do not witness

Emergency-room workers who treat individuals under the influence of drugs or alcohol will have greater legal protection, and those who misbehave in ERs will have less protection, under a law that will take effect next month.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, will allow peace officers to make an arrest or issue a citation for a fourth-degree assault that occurs in a hospital emergency room, even if the officer didn’t witness the crime, as long as the officer has probable cause to believe the offense occurred.

“Hospital emergency personnel treat individuals in the worst of conditions – and sometimes that means putting themselves at risk, if a patient comes in intoxicated or high,” Gov. Steve Beshear said at a ceremonial signing of the bill today.  “This law gives medical staff the security of knowing that an offender will be held accountable for an assault that takes place when they’re brought in for care.”

Under current law, a hospital worker has to swear out a warrant alleging assault. Fourth-degree assault is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail.

Police make second raid in a year at pain clinic in Paintsville

As lawmakers wrestle with what to do about prescription pill abuse in Kentucky, law enforcement continues to crack down on so-called "pill mills."

For the second time in less than a year, officers descended upon Care More Pain Management in Paintsville last Wednesday, arresting 29 people outside the clinic. "The raid was part of an ongoing investigation by Attorney General Jack Conway's office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration into doctors who allegedly over-prescribe pain medications," report R.G. Dunlop and Laura Ungar of The Courier-Journal.

"We're been looking forward to this day for almost as long as I've been in office," five years, said Paintsville Mayor Bob Porter. "Hopefully, other people will think twice before they try to get into this business."

Dr. Richard Albert, who had practiced at the clinic, was arrested last Feb. 16 and pleaded guilty in December to conspiring to illegally prescribe about 50,000 Percocet tablets. Conway's office believes Albert was prescribing about 100,000 pills a month and seeing about 55 patients per day. (Read more)