Howland doctor pleads guilty to drug trafficking counts

WARREN — Dr. Mark E. Davis, a 47-year-old Howland osteopathic doctor with an office on state Route 193 in Vienna, has pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking.

Gina Arnaut, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor, said the two charges stem from two videotaped incidents in Dr. Davis’ office — one in August 2006 and one in January 2007 — in which Dr. Davis wrote a prescription for Schedule 3 drugs to a confidential informant in exchange for sexual favors.

The incidents with the confidential informant occurred after complaints were received by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, which conducted an investigation, Arnaut said.

Dr. Davis, of Brittany Oaks Trail, appeared in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Tuesday and pleaded guilty to a bill of information, meaning he waived his right to have a grand jury decide whether he should face criminal charges.

Dr. Davis was handcuffed at the end of the hearing and taken to the Trumbull County Jail, where he was photographed and fingerprinted before being released on $2,500 bond.

Judge Andrew Logan will sentence Dr. Davis in four to six weeks, after the Trumbull County Adult Probation Department conducts a presentence investigation.

For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Vindicator or vindy.com