DOCTOR HELD IN DRUG CASE

Prescription With No Exam Alleged

A Gwinnett doctor with a troubled past remains jailed without bond on
felony drug charges.

Family practitioner David Joseph Ellis, 50, was arrested Saturday for
allegedly dispensing a narcotic to an undercover agent without examining
the agent, said Rick Allen, deputy director of the Georgia Drugs and
Narcotics Agency.

Ellis, who has an office on Hurricane Shoals Road in Lawrenceville, is
charged with felony dispensing a drug in violation of the state controlled
substance act, according to arrest records.

A magistrate denied bond.

He was arrested in a joint investigation by the Georgia Composite State
Board of Medical Examiners and Allen's agency.

Karen Mason, the composite board's executive director, would not discuss
the scope of the probe, the type of drug involved or other details.
"Investigations by the board are confidential by state law," she said.

Ellis was licensed as a physician in Georgia in August 1979, according to
the composite board.

In 1990, he was accused of dispensing or prescribing various controlled
substances to a five-year patient who became addicted, state records show.
Those included anti-depressants and pain killers, including Valium, Xanax,
Demerol, Percocet and Darvocet.

His license was suspended in 1990, and the state board ruled that he may
have "become unable to practice medicine . . . by reason of his use of
cocaine," according to records released Monday.

In October 1990, Ellis agreed to remain on probation for seven years, to
undergo substance abuse counseling and accept restrictions on his practice.

His medical license was revoked after he tested positive for cocaine in
September 1996, the state records allege.

His license was reinstated in July 1998, with restrictions on his practice
and a requirement to continue to seek treatment and undergo drug tests.

All restrictions were removed Sept. 1, 1999, state records show.