Athens doctor and patients arrested on extortion and RX fraud

An Athens doctor and three of his patients have been arrested on a list of charges which include extortion and prescription fraud.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says 56-year-old Dr. Rodney Dunham and his patient 19-year-old Laura Cheek were engaged in a relationship exchanging sex for prescription drugs.

According to TBI, the Tennessee Department of Health Related Boards suspended Dunham's license in October of 2009.

Dunham, who ran a walk-in clinic on Congress Parkway in Athens, was indicted on one count of dispensing prescriptions by fraud.  Laura Cheek's mother, 42-year-old Patricia Cheek, and her neighbor, 26-year-old John Davis, were also arrested.

According to TBI, the trio threatened to expose Dunham's relationship with Laura Cheek in order to obtain prescription drugs.  In addition, TBI says, Laura Cheek and Davis also filed a police report in August alleging she had been raped, but did not name her attacker.

Laura and Patricia Cheek and Davis are all charged with obtaining prescriptions by fraud, extortion, conspiracy to obtain prescriptions by fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion.  Laura Cheek and Davis are also charged with filing false reports.

All three are being held on $25,000 bonds at the McMinn County Justice Center.  Dunham is also being held there, his bond is set at $8,000.

They are all scheduled to be arraigned November 30.