Indiana doctor arrested for trading pills for sex

Published 3:15 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2016

An Indiana doctor who operates a pain clinic in Peru, Indiana was arrested Monday on charges he traded prescription pills for sex with one of his patients.

Dr. Tristan Stonger operated Pain Management Centers of Indiana, which has offices in Peru, Bloomington and Indianapolis.

During a press conference Tuesday morning, Marion County, Indiana Prosecutor Terry Curry said Stonger was arrested Monday after an investigation revealed he was trading pills for sex with a female patient.

He said Stonger distributed the pills without a fee and without any legitimate medical purpose while engaging in sex acts with the woman.

According to a media release from Curry’s office, “the patient reported a sexual relationship with Stonger which began after she became a patient in 2014. The patient reported that she felt pressure to engage in the sexual relationship in order to get pain pills from Stonger.”

Stonger now faces felony charges including two counts of distributing hydrocodone, one count of distributing morphine and two counts of distributing amphetamines, Curry said. He is being held at the Marion County Jail on a $300,000 bond.

The Attorney General’s Office has filed a motion to suspend Stonger’s license. Curry said prosecutors will continue to investigate Stonger and his practices, and additional charges may be coming.

“Addiction to prescription medication continues to be a plague upon our state and nation,” Curry said. “It is thus especially distressing when medical professionals facilitate the distribution of those drugs for abuse.”

Greg Westfall, an assistant special agent with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, said he hopes Stonger’s arrest sends a message to other medical practitioners who may be illegally distributing drugs.

“If you’re addicted to drugs, help us reduce demand and seek help,” he said. “If you’re an individual or organization who exploits the weakness of addiction which contributes to the violence in our communities, the overdose deaths and the destruction of families, the DEA Indianapolis and our federal, state and local partners will identify, investigate and bring you to justice,” he said.

 Gerber is a reporter at The Kokomo Tribune.