Kinston doctor loses license
By Dennis Hill
Published in News on July 17, 2016 1:45 AM
GREENVILLE - Acting United States Attorney John Stuart Bruce announced that in federal court, Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced Douglas Elroy Watford, 60, of Kinston, to two years probation.
As part of his guilty plea and as a condition of his probation, Watford was required to surrender his license to practice medicine in the State of North Carolina and to never seek reinstatement of said license nor any license to practice medicine in any state or territory of the United States.
Watford was also required to surrender his registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration to distribute and dispense controlled substances and to never seek reinstatement of said registration.
Watford was named in a criminal information report filed on March 25, charging him with distribution of controlled substances by a DEA registrant contrary to federal regulations. On April 8, he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the State Bureau of Investigation's Diversion and Environmental Crimes Unit, the North Carolina Medical Board, the Lenoir County Sheriff's Office and the Kinston Police Department.