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NEWS BRIEFS
Ashland doctor pleads guilty to drug charges
CATLETTSBURG, Ky. — An Ashland doctor pleaded guilty to five drug related charges Monday in Boyd Circuit Court and was placed in a diversion program that could see his record expunged in two years.
Dr. John Van Deren, 50, pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs, possession of cocaine, two counts of possession of controlled substances and having prescription medication not in a proper container, said Commonwealth’s Attorney David Justice.
A potential five-year prison sentence was diverted for two years, meaning Van Deren will be placed on probation for two years. He’ll have to report monthly to probation officials and undergo drug testing. If he stays out of trouble for two years, the conviction can be erased from his record, said Boyd Circuit Judge C. David Hagerman.
Justice said Van Deren had no prior record and was given the same type of sentence anyone else would receive.
Van Deren, who was arrested by Kentucky State Police last November, was a practicing cardiologist at King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland at the time of his arrest. He also has medical privileges at St. Mary’s Medical Center and Cabell Huntington Hospital.
