TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – A lady from Tuscaloosa County was arrested on Tuesday for practicing medicine without a license.
Ellory Kate Johnson, 31, of Moundville, was arrested by Tuscaloosa police on 2 felony charges: practicing medicine or osteopathy without a license and attempting to commit a controlled substances crime.
“This lady does have a history in this area doing these sorts of things not necessarily to this degree but does have a history of doing fraudulent activity,” said Lt. Donny Emerson.
Tuscaloosa police got a break in the case over the weekend when a patient tried to purchase a weight-loss medicine purportedly prescribed by Johnson.
“One of the things that tipped us off was somebody tried to get a prescription filled that she had written, and the pharmacist knew something was wrong with the prescription, so they didn’t fill it,” Lt. Emerson explained.
Lt. Emerson said investigators arrived at Mentor Up on Tuesday armed with a search warrant and arrested Johnson on the job.
“Kind of a mixture of upset, confused, defensive. She was upset and wanted to know what was going on,” said Lt. Emerson.
According to Lt. Emerson, the investigation is still ongoing, so it’s unclear how many patients were prescribed drugs. What they do know is that there are so many layers to peel back in this instance that it may be quite harmful.
“You never know what she might have prescribed to someone.” They could have experienced an allergic reaction. “We don’t know how in-depth she went because doctors understand how medications work,” Lt. Emerson explained.
According to Lt. Emerson, Johnson is currently facing two felonies with the prospect of additional charges and subsequent arrests.
According to court documents, Johnson’s bail totalled $30,000, and she is now out of jail.
Investigators are asking everyone who has been treated by anyone at the facility to phone 205-248-4520 because they may be possible witnesses in the current investigation.
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