SpringfieldNewsSun.com

By Natalie Morales

Staff Writer

The Clark County Court of Appeals on Friday reversed the conviction of a doctor investigators said sold prescriptions for OxyContin in Springfield.

Dr. William Nucklos, 59, of Powell, had been sentenced last year to 20 years in prison for 20 felony counts of drug trafficking and illegally processing drug documents.

But the Clark County Court of Appeals ruled that Judge Douglas Rastatter, who presided over the case, failed to instruct the jury correctly and the prosecution presented witnesses and evidence that were irrelevant to the case.

The appeals court agreed. The court stated, for example, that a seized shotgun shown to jurors was not relevant to the case because, "Obviously, (the) defendant did not use the loaded shotgun to write the prescriptions."

Nucklos was indicted in 2004 for reportedly writing prescriptions for OxyContin, a pain relief medication the Food and Drug Administration has warned physicians about prescribing because of its increased abuse.

In late 2002, a warrant for medical records from Nucklos' Arcue Building office, 6 W. High St., was issued after undercover Springfield Police Division detectives investigated his practice because of complaints from local emergency room personnel, pharmacists and a parent of a patient, Clark County Prosecutor Stephen Schumaker has said.

The doctor was arraigned in late 2004 but was allowed to continue practicing medicine until his trial, Schumaker has said.

Nucklos has not practiced in Springfield since the 2002 warrant was issued, according to police.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0226 or nmorales@coxohio.com