SALT LAKE CITY -- Unified Fire Authority Deputy Chief Marlon Jones appeared in court Friday for a scheduling conference after being charged with 14 felonies in connection with prescription drug fraud in May.
Jones has been on paid leave since May from the Unified Fire Authority, where he's held a job for more than 20 years.
Prosecutors claimed Jones had been doctor shopping for the past year, and had doctors fill prescriptions for hundreds of sleep aids, muscle relaxers and the pain killer oxycodone.
"As we've stated in our probable cause statement, we identified three different physicians," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. "He failed to communicate to those physicians that he was already getting pain medication from different folks."
The charges came after investigators found that morphine and other pain medication were missing from UFA ambulances and firehouses, and pain medication was taken from ambulances and replaced with saline.
Jones will be back in court for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 10.
Related stories:
UFA deputy chief, paramedics allegedly stole medication from ambulances, firehouse
Unified Fire Assistant Chief facing prescription drug fraud charges
Two Unified Fire paramedics facing prescription drug fraud charges
