Fallon doctor arrested in alleged opioid conspiracy

Months after a search warrant was served on his Fallon office, Dr. Gary Ridenour was arrested on Monday.

A federal indictment was filed Friday afternoon in Reno.

Law enforcement officers from Northern Nevada executed a search warrant in February because of an ongoing investigation looking into overprescribed controlled substances.

The Drug Enforcement Agency — along with the FBI, officers from Reno and Washoe and Churchill counties, Nevada Department of Investigations, Health and Human Services and several medical boards — entered the offices of Dr. Gary Ridenour at 2152 Reno Highway, Suite 1 shortly after its 7 a.m. opening on Feb. 21.

Marc Kuzmicki, resident in charge of the Reno DEA office, said in February agents executed search warrants in Nevada, Southern California and Hawaii and gathered evidence of overprescribed medication. In addition to Ridenour’s office, Kuzmicki said officers would be searching Ridenour’s home.

“It’s been an ongoing case for a year,” he said of the February search. “Overall, we’re focusing on practitioners whether they’re doctors, nurse practitioners, veterinarians, dentists, anyone who has access to controlled substances that can be prescribed (and) that we suspect are grossly overprescribed.”