United States v. Bartee, No. 72-1759.

Citation479 F.2d 484
Decision Date22 May 1973
Docket NumberNo. 72-1759.
PartiesUNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Roy A. BARTEE, Defendant-Appellant.
CourtUnited States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (10th Circuit)

Paul D. Cooper, Asst. U. S. Atty. (James L. Treece, U. S. Atty., on the brief), for plaintiff-appellee.

Hugh J. McClearn, Denver, Colo. (Gregory A. Thomas, Boulder, Colo., and

Van Cise, Freeman, Tooley & McClearn, Denver, Colo., on the brief), for defendant-appellant.

Samuel P. Guyton and Eugene F. McGuire, Denver, Colo., and Holland & Hart, Denver, Colo., of counsel, for The Denver Medical Society, as amicus curiae.

Before SETH, McWILLIAMS and DOYLE, Circuit Judges.

McWILLIAMS, Circuit Judge.

Dr. Roy A. Bartee, a licensed doctor of medicine, was convicted on two counts of dispensing a controlled substance in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a) (1). In one count, Dr. Bartee was convicted of knowingly and intentionally dispensing Percodan on February 29, 1972, to Ronald Baker, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, which agency will hereinafter be referred to as BNDD. In another count, Dr. Bartee was convicted of knowingly and intentionally dispensing Seconal on March 2, 1972, to William Coller, also a special agent for BNDD. Dr. Bartee was acquitted on a third count involving a Denver policewoman who visited him and for whom he had allegedly prescribed Percobarb and Dexamyl.

Dr. Bartee now appeals his conviction and in our view his principal assignment of error relates to the sufficiency of the evidence. Accordingly, we will summarize the evidence in some detail, keeping in mind that, Dr. Bartee having been convicted, we must on appeal view the evidence, together with all the reasonable inferences that can be drawn therefrom, in a light most favorable to the Government. United States v. Frazier, 434 F.2d 238 (10th Cir. 1970).

On February 14, 1972, agent Ronald Baker first visited Dr. Bartee in the latter's office located at 811 South Pearl Street in Denver, Colorado. Baker, using a cover name of Tony Morris, complained to the doctor of a persistent backache. The doctor, without conducting any physical examination, as such, though he did take a short history, wrote out a prescription for Parafonforte, which is not a controlled substance.

On February 29, 1972, Baker returned to Dr. Bartee, advising him on that occasion that he needed something stronger than Parafon Forte. As concerns the Parafon Forte previously prescribed, Baker informed the doctor that he had traded some of it for some Tuinal, which is a controlled substance. Dr. Bartee then advised Baker that he would prescribe something stronger and began writing out a prescription for twenty-four tablets of Percodan, which is a controlled substance. Baker asked for a larger prescription and the doctor accordingly gave Baker three separate prescriptions, each calling for twenty-four Percodan tablets, with two of the prescriptions being postdated, one to March 4, 1972, and another to March 8, 1972.

On March 7, 1972, Baker returned to Dr. Bartee's office for a third time. On this occasion, Baker told the doctor that he had been selling the Percodan previously prescribed, whereupon Dr. Bartee stated that he would not do any further business with Baker and walked out of the office. The foregoing summarizes the contacts between Baker and Dr. Bartee. As stated above, one count was based on Dr. Bartee's prescribing Percodan for Baker on February 29, 1972. Let us now turn to agent Coller's visitations to Dr. Bartee's office.

On February 4, 1972, agent William Coller, using the cover name of Bill Conan, first visited Dr. Bartee, complaining of nervousness and inability to sleep. After taking a brief history and making no physical examination, the doctor prescribed Librium, which is said to be a noncontrolled substance.

On February 28, 1972, Coller returned to Dr. Bartee and told him that he (Coller) had traded the Librium for Seconal, which he called "reds," because the Librium hadn't helped him any. On this occasion, Dr. Bartee gave Coller a quantity of the drug Triavil, as opposed to writing out a prescription.

On March 2, 1972, Coller again visited Dr. Bartee and insisted on being given some "reds," a slang term for Seconal. As concerns the Triavil, Coller told the doctor that he had used some, and sold the rest. Dr. Bartee on this occasion told Coller that Seconal was a powerful narcotic and wasn't normally prescribed for simple nervousness. Coller insisted and the doctor wrote out a prescription for Seconal, with Coller paying for the office call with a radio.

On March 9, 1972, Coller next visited Dr. Bartee, asking for more "reds." Dr. Bartee indicated he had given Coller plenty of Seconal on the earlier visit and asked what Coller had done with the Seconal thus prescribed. Coller informed the doctor that he had used some, and gave the rest to his roommate. Dr. Bartee said he had to be "careful" since the BNDD from time to time checked the records of drugstores to determine which doctors were prescribing drugs. In response thereto, Coller stated that he would get the prescriptions filled out of Denver, if that would help, to which the doctor replied that such wasn't necessary, with the further admonition that "if you'll just take the prescriptions to different drugstores each time, that should be all right." On this occasion, Dr. Bartee gave Coller one prescription for twenty-four Seconal tablets, and a second prescription, postdated, for twenty-four more Seconal tablets.

On March 21, 1972, Coller made his final visit to Dr. Bartee and said he needed some more "reds." Coller informed the doctor that he had traded some of the Seconal for other drugs. On this occasion, Coller got another prescription for twenty-four Seconal tablets. He also got a second prescription, bearing the same date as the first, for an additional twenty-four Seconal tablets, on the pretext that he was leaving town and needed a larger prescription.

As concerns this second prescription given Coller by Dr. Bartee on March 21, 1972, there was a dispute between Coller and Dr. Bartee as to the reason for such. Dr. Bartee testified that Coller came back in the afternoon claiming that he had lost the prescription given him during the morning of that day and that this precipitated the giving of a second prescription on the same day. As indicated, Coller testified that he got both prescriptions at the same time. Coller's version was pretty well corroborated by another agent of BNDD and by the druggist who filled both prescriptions, to the end that Dr. Bartee on surrebuttal testified that the "lost" prescription episode might well have not occurred on March 21, 1972, but possibly on March 9, 1972.

The foregoing summarizes the extent of Coller's contacts with Dr. Bartee. As indicated, one count was based on the prescription given Coller by Dr. Bartee on March 2, 1972, for Seconal. However, Coller's testimony regarding his visits to Dr. Bartee of February 4, 28, and March 9 and 21 was admitted on the basis that evidence of such other transactions was admissible for the purpose of proving a common plan, scheme or design on the part of Dr. Bartee to commit the offense charged, or for the purpose of proving motive, opportunity, intent, knowledge, or absence of mistake. United States v. Burkhart, 458 F.2d 201 (10th Cir. 1972). For like reason, Baker's testimony as to each of his several visits to Dr. Bartee was received into evidence. Before considering Dr. Bartee's argument as to why his convictions should be reversed, reference will first be made to various statutes which bear on the controversy.

Section 841(a) (1), 21 U.S.C. provides that it is unlawful for any person to knowingly and intentionally dispense a controlled substance, except as authorized by the subchapter. Section 802(10), 21 U.S.C. defines the word "dispense" as follows:

"The term `dispense\' means to deliver a controlled substance to an ultimate user or research subject by, or pursuant to the lawful order of, a practitioner, including the prescribing and administering of a controlled substance and the packaging, labeling, or compounding necessary to prepare the substance for such delivery. * * *" (Emphasis added.)

The italicized portions of the foregoing will be discussed, infra.

The word "administer" is defined in 21 U.S.C. § 802(2) as follows:

"The term `administer\' refers to the direct application of a controlled substance to the body of a patient * * * by —
(A) a practitioner (or, in his presence, by his authorized agent), or
(B) the patient * * * at the direction and in the presence of the practitioner,
whether such application be by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or any other means."

The term "ultimate user" is defined in 21 U.S.C. § 802(25) as follows:

"The term `ultimate user\' means a person who has lawfully obtained, and who possesses, a controlled substance for his own use or for the use of a member of his household or for an animal owned by him or by a member of his household."

Section 829(a) and (b), 21 U.S.C., and 21 C.F.R. § 306.04(a) exempt medical practitioners from the prohibitions of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a) (1) whenever such a practitioner issues a prescription for a legitimate medical purpose and in the usual course of his professional practice.

Viewing the evidence then in the light of the foregoing statutes, it is agreed that Percodan and Seconal are controlled substances. It is undisputed that Dr. Bartee prescribed...

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