Dothan pharmacist to take guilty plea deal, admits to selling pills on side
A DEA agent enters Allen’s Pharmacy on West Main Street following a raid on the business on Wednesday, July 8.
A Dothan pharmacist indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawful distribution of a controlled substance intends to take a guilty plea deal.
During a change of plea hearing via videoconference on Thursday, Richard Allen Strickland, who owns Allen’s Pharmacy, admitted to selling 14 hydrocodone pills to an individual without a prescription in exchange for cash on July 3, 2020. Hydrocodone is an opioid use to treat moderate to severe pain.
Strickland initially pleaded not guilty to the charge and was scheduled for a jury trial in February.
Now that he has changed his plea to guilty, Strickland will be sentenced during a hearing in the next 90 days. Magistrate Judge Kelly Pate is recommending that he continues to be on release until his sentencing due to health issues.
As part of the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama is recommending the minimum sentence for Strickland’s drug distribution charge, which is two years.
