Doctor Arrested for Illegally Prescribing Narcotics, Booked in San Dimas

A doctor with an office in Wilmington has been arrested for allegedly illegally prescribing narcotics, it was reported today.

John Dimowo, 55, was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon and booked at the sheriff's San Dimas Station, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Dimowo was released Tuesday night on $60,000 bail, and was tentatively scheduled to appear today in court in downtown Los Angeles, the sheriff's department reported.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Dimowo was arrested on seven counts of illegally prescribing narcotics "and other widely abused drugs."

Dimowo has been charged with prescribing Vicodin, Norco, Adderall and Xanax to undercover agents who visited his Wilmington office in March and May of 2012 and pretended to be patients but who had no legitimate need for the drugs, The Times reported.

Dimowo was featured in a 2012 investigative story by The Times on patient overdose deaths but has not been charged in connection with any patient deaths.

The investigation into the doctor was prompted by complaints to the Medical Board of California, The Times reported.

Steve Meister, Dimowo's attorney, told The Times that he was confident his client would emerge "from this so-called case unscathed, as he deserves to."

- City News Service