Former Casper Doctor Goes On Trial On Drug Charge On Sept. 18
A former Casper doctor accused of attempting to illegally obtain steroids will go on trial on Sept. 18, a judge ruled today.
Natrona County District Court Judge Thomas Sullins denied a joint motion by attorneys to again delay the trial of Paul Michael Harnetty who tried to obtain the synthetic steroid Nandrolone, a Schedule III controlled substance.
If convicted on the drug charge, Harnetty faces up to five years of imprisonment and up to a $10,000 fine.
Harnetty has pleaded not guilty to that charge, as well as pleading not guilty in a separate case to eight counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of third-degree sexual assault.
If convicted on all the sexual assault counts he could face between 16 and 190 years of imprisonment. The sexual assault trial is scheduled for January.
Defense attorney Don Fuller has been hospitalized and filed the motion to delay the trial because of his health, and Assistant District Attorney Mike Schafer agreed.
But Fuller attended the hearing Friday and still wanted to combine the two trials to economize resources, adding the drug case was difficult.
But Sullins disagreed with the assertion the case may be difficult, adding the steroid trial already had been delayed in June.
Schafer agreed, saying he was just assigned the case, but he will be ready by the Sept. 18 trial date.
The drug case started last year when Harnetty attempted to obtain 12 10-milliliter bottles, or 3.6 grams, of Nandrolone in April 2016, according to court records.
Hanetty had contacted a proprietor of an online business named HK Market, based in Guangdon, China, and ordered the Nandrolone to be sent to his address. On April 18, the U.S. Postal service delivered a package coming from a man in Parker, Colo., to Harnetty at his address.
After that, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Harnetty's address, found the box that had contained the Nandrolone, computers, cell phones and other evidence.
Harnetty had worked as an obstetrics/gynecologist at the Wyoming Medical Center.
On Oct. 7, 2016, the Wyoming Board of Medicine accepted his voluntarily relinquishment of his license because of a continuing investigation against him for wrongful practice.
He was arrested in Minnesota on Jan. 20.
Harnetty remains free on $50,000 personal recognizance bond for the drug charge and has posted $50,000 cash bond in the sexual assault case.