Indiana doctor surrenders DEA registration "for cause"
CHICAGO – Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Bell, DEA Chicago Division, announced today that on June 23, 2020, pediatrician Jonathon W. Cavins, 42, of Lebanon, Indiana, surrendered “For Cause” his DEA controlled substances registration. Cavins was recently sentenced to the Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC) following a guilty verdict in a jury trial for child molestation charges. This investigation was prosecuted by the Boone County, Indiana, Prosecutor’s Office.
A state-licensed physician is entitled to apply for a DEA Registration and must maintain an approved, active registration to legally prescribe controlled substance medications. If a physician fails to maintain professional standards surrounding the proper handling of controlled substances, and continued prescriptive authority would be inconsistent with public interest, the DEA may take action to administratively revoke the registration.
On February 13, 2020, Cavins was convicted during a jury trial. On June 4, 2020, Circuit Court Judge Lori Schein, Boone County, Indiana, sentenced Cavins to 19 years confinement in the IDOC, followed by four years probation.
Cavins was sentenced for the following violations:
Count I - Child Molesting Level 4 Felony Indiana Code 35-42-4-3(b) - Total sentence of nine years: seven years confinement in the IDOC and two years of probation; Count II - Child Molesting Level 4 Felony Indiana Code 45-42-4-3(b) - Total sentence of nine years: Seven years confinement in the IDOC and two years of probation; Count III - Sexual Misconduct with a Minor Level 5 Felony Indiana Code 35-42-4-9(b) (1) - Total sentence confinement in the IDOC; Count IV - Child Seduction Level 6 Felony Indiana Code 35-42-4-7(n) and Indiana Code 35-42-4-7(q) (1) - Total sentence one year confinement in the IDOC; Count V - Child Seduction Level 6 Felony Indiana Code 35-42-4-7(n) and Indiana Code 35-42-4-7(q) (1) - Total sentence of one year in the IDOC. Cavins was also declared a Sexually Violent Predator as a matter of law.
“DEA commends the courageous victims, survivors, and their supportive families who came forward to share their stories about Cavins’ appalling and egregious behavior," said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Gannon. "DEA is grateful for the investigative contributions of the Lebanon Police Department and the prosecutorial efforts of the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office. It is of the utmost importance that physicians who abuse their positions of trust, to criminally prey on the vulnerable, be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“We are grateful to the strength demonstrated by victims and the families for coming forward to help achieve this successful prosecution,” said Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood.
