Moses Lake Police are not investigating Earl

Falls under DEA jurisdiction

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake Dr. David T. Earl is under investigation as his medical license remains suspended by the state Department of Health.

But it is the federal U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) doing the work, not the Moses Lake Police.

"It's not our jurisdiction," said Moses Lake Police Chief Dean Mitchell. "It's very complicated."

The DEA issues licenses to doctors to prescribe medicine, When physicians are accused of abusing the privilege they are investigated by the DEA, according to DEA public information officer Rhett Fonseca.

Their results are provided to the Washington State Department of Health to determine if the accusations are true and what form of punishment should be administered in regards to the doctor's medical license. They can revoke the license, issue fines or require the doctor to work under specific conditions.

If the investigations reveal criminal activities, local law enforcement is notified.

"If there are any criminal charges, we will work with the DEA at that point," said Mitchell. "At this point, we will wait and see what the process comes up with."

Mitchell said it is difficult for the police to help the state in their investigations of medical professionals within Moses Lake. The community tends to discover the efforts when police are investigating a doctor.

"It's a small town," Mitchell said.

In 2006, the DEA was investigating Earl, according to state records. He allegedly provided an undercover DEA agent with Hydrocodone at the female agent's request. Earl allegedly provided the agent with prescriptions for anti-depressants, anti-spasticity/relaxants, and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs without the agent's request, according to state documents.

Fonseca declined to provide any further details about the DEA undercover operation.

"I can't tell you much about this investigation because it is ongoing," he said.