When you think of doctors, for the most part, they considered very important individuals in society due to the fact that we trust that they act in the purest of intentions. They behave primarily to help people rather than anything else. Sure, they make a good living, but at the end of the day they are there to help people. For the most part, doctors typically act ethically but in this instance, there is a doctor that used his privilege and access to acquire controlled substances. An obstetrician named Dr. Paul Harnetty was the one that planned on purchasing the substances primarily for personal use. in the state of Wyoming was the one that pled guilty to the crime, and he was someone that had attempted to import Deca-Durabolin (Nandrolone) into the United States, which is an anabolic steroid that is heavily controlled.
But because of the fact, that was his first offense and he decided to plead guilty, he was able to get a heavily reduced sentence. This is a great thing primarily because it shows that while the doctor decided to abuse his position of authority, it’s an example of the criminal justice system not ruining the doctor’s life because of a personal decision to use a drug, that if properly used and administered, is pretty much completely healthy and harmless. Although he did order illegal steroids, he didn’t order a tremendous quantity, and this is proof that perhaps the doctor was only intending to use them for a small basis rather than disseminating them far and wide. Regardless, it was tracked down that the source of his purchase was China, the location of a lot of raw anabolic steroid powders and other narcotics that are smuggled into the United States and further synthesized.
For years and years now, China has been a major supplier of the legal and illicit prescription medications, drugs, and performance-enhancing supplements like steroids. It is long been understood that they have a number of different underground laboratories working double overtime to produce these illicit drugs and have absolutely zero problems with shipping them overseas – even to nations like the US that have strict import laws significant penalties against purchasing controlled substances.
But while this is only crime he was accused of doing and eventually pleading guilty to, the truth is that there are a lot of other charges that Harnetty is facing that is going to make things a lot worse. The truth is that rather than just the drug possession alone and importing the drugs from overseas, he’s actually facing multiple felony accounts of sexual assault, that if convicted, could land him in prison for the rest of his life.
Some would argue that the steroid possession is a “victimless crime” (if you are willing to make the mental leap and eliminate the good doctor has a victim of his own crime), but no one could ever argue that these charges – the sexual assault charges – are victimless in any way, shape, or form.
His work as an obstetrician and gynecology specialist gave him unfettered and influential access to hundreds of women each year as part of his profession, and according to the accusations leveled against him he took advantage of his position on more than just one occasion and cause real pain and harm to these women that will last for they are entire lives.
This is a major violation that many people allege he tried to evade by relocating to a different state, but while the drug-related issues were resolved, it remains to be seen what will come of his sexual assault cases. The odds are pretty good that the doctor isn’t going to be able to out run his legal troubles.
Harnetty faces many years behind bars if convicted of multiple sexual assault charges.
Source: http://trib.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/two-charges-against-former-casper-doctor-dismissed-he-still-faces/article_3f829d9d-dad0-5e85-aac6-3ef584df2d4f.html