(Cleveland)- The former CEO of Union General Hospital, Inc. in Blairsville, John Michael Gowder has been indicted in White County on 25 counts of fraudulently obtaining controlled substance in the county. The White County Grand Jury returned the indictments this week. According to Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jeff Langley, Gowder is alleged to have obtained fraudulent prescriptions from a doctor who worked at the Blairsville hospital and filled those prescriptions in White County.
Gowder has previously been indicted in Towns and Union Counties on similar charges, some of those dating back to early last year.
READ: Doctors, family members accused of prescription drug fraud
The same grand jury also indicted a former Georgia Department of Corrections officer for having sexual contact with an inmate in White County. D.A. Langley said 37-year-old Grady Harold Speers of Hartwell was indicted on one count of sexual assault on a person with supervisory authority over an inmate and 1 count of violation of oath of a public officer.
According to Langley, the victim was an inmate from Lee Arrendale State Prison in Alto who was on a work release program and working in Helen. “There was allegedly sexual activity between the defendant and inmate. Such contact really degrades the structure of the jailer or correction system, creates disorder and of course, it’s a danger to the inmate, it’s a danger to the officers who become involved in such and it corrupts our system if it’s allowed to go on,” said Langley.
Langley said state law strictly prohibits this kind of conduct.
The White County Grand Jury meeting this week has returned a total of 43 true bills of indictment. The Grand Jury met on Tuesday and Wednesday and heard evidence in the cases and made their decisions.
