Arkansas – A federal grand jury indicted an Arkansas doctor, B. Hiyatt, last month, accusing the former chairman of the Arkansas State MedicaI Board of orchestrating a scheme involving the alleged drugging and unlawful detention of patients at a psychiatric facility in SpringdaIe.
According to the indictment, the defendant is charged with two federal counts of kidnapping, along with distribution of controIIed substances. Prosecutors allege he administered powerful, mind-altering sedatives to multiple patients without medical necessity in order to keep them admitted to the facility longer than required. Arkansas authorities said the alleged actions were financially motivated, tied to increased healthcare reimbursements linked to extended patient stays.
The charges stem from an investigation into practices at the NWC BehavioraI Health, where the defendant’s medical company had been contracted to provide psychiatric services between 2018 and 2022. Federal prosecutors allege that during this period, patients were improperly sedated and held against their will, raising serious concerns about both patient safety and medical ethics…