Jacksonville.com
The Trial of Dr. Chua
Chua, 45, has been held in the Camden County jail since September 2006 when he was arrested and charged with the drug overdose death of Jamie Carter III. Prosecutors say Carter, 20, died from drugs Chua prescribed for no legitimate medical purpose.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Pharmacist testifies it's uncertain where Carter got drugs found in his system

The first witness for the defense on day five of the trial of Noel Chua was Wal-Mart pharmacist Mark Mitchell.

He told jurors he filled a prescription for methadone for Jamie Carter III on Dec. 9, 2005, less than a week before his overdose death in Chua's St. Marys home.

Defense attorney Donald Samuel asked Mitchell to count the unused methadone tablets found in Chua's home after Carter's death. Six pills were missing from the original prescription of 60 tablets.

Prosecuting attorney Jackie Johnson asked Mitchell to pour the methadone tablets on a tray.

The pills were consistent with the 30-day supply he put in a bottle for Carter, but he couldn't say whether they are the same drugs found in Carter's system after his death.

When Carter brought another prescription to the store for morphine three days later, Mitchell said the only way Carter could have gotten more of the drug was from another prescription from a physician.

Mitchell said he "probably would not have filled it," when he was asked what he would have done if Carter had returned to his store, instead of going elsewhere with a prescription for more methadone three days later.

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