Feds: Gray doctor accused in deadly pill mill case had photos of cops’ wives, kids

A Jones County doctor jailed last week when federal investigators raided his office after year-long probe that accuses him of over-prescribing opioids had computer files with photographs, names and addresses of some investigators and their families, a U.S. attorney said here Monday.

Dr. Thomas H. Sachy, of Georgia Pain and Behavioral Medicine in Gray, faces, among other charges, allegations of unlawfully dispensing controlled substances resulting in death and serious bodily injury.

At a Monday hearing in federal court where Sachy, 54, was at least temporarily ordered held in jail until trial, Charles E. “Charlie” Peeler, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, said investigators found the troubling photographs on computer hard drives that were in Sachy’s satchel. There was also a pistol in the satchel, Peeler said.

Peeler said the photographic materials — in a file under the heading “Thugs” — were intended “to intimidate or to harm” the federal officers who were investigating Sachy’s practice. And Sachy knew they were looking into him, Peeler said. Sachy’s lawyers said the photographs appeared to come from Facebook pages.

In ordering that Sachy be denied pretrial release, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Charles H. Weigle said he found the presence of the pictures disturbing.

“If my picture were on here I would be scared to death,” Weigle said.

Because Sachy’s lawyers had only learned of the existence of the photos in question at Monday’s hearing, Weigle said he would allow them a week to file a motion for the judge to reconsider pretrial release for Sachy.

This story was originally published July 2, 2018 at 6:39 PM.