Officials say it was easy to get pills

New information was released Thursday about a Murray doctor accused of illegally distributing millions of pain pills.

Dr. Warren Stack, 60, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Wednesday for investigation of six felony counts of distribution of a controlled substance, two counts of arranging to distribute a controlled substance and four other controlled-substance-related counts, according to jail records. He was released early Thursday afternoon.

Stack is also being investigated in conjunction with at least one overdose in which bottles of pills were found that had been prescribed by Stack, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Paul Jaroscak. He added that since news of the case broke, investigators have fielded more than 75 calls from patients or people acquainted with patients of Stack's.

Agents from the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, Attorney General's Office, Drug Enforcement Administration and Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing went to Stack's office, near 5000 South and 900 East, Wednesday afternoon with a search warrant. When they got there, they say they found his office so full of patients that they were sitting on the waiting room floor.

Sheriff's Lt. Robby Russo said there were actually three full waiting rooms — two of those being examination rooms converted to accommodate his overflowing clientele. Investigators estimate the doctor saw an average of 55 patients a day.

Authorities say many of the patients called Stack the "Candyman," saying that he freely prescribed medications that fed some people's addictions and supplied medications to others who would in turn sell them on the street.

Neighbors complained that since Stack moved into his office a month ago, visitors increased dramatically — so much so that a sign posted inside Stack's office asked people who were waiting for an appointment or for a ride to not wait outside the building.

Investigators say they believe that since 2001, Stack has prescribed about 3.5 million narcotics pills, far more than other doctors in the valley licensed to distribute the same medications.

The sheriff's office said it had been investigating Stack for a year, including an undercover operation that involved detectives purchasing pills. Sources close to the investigation told the Deseret Morning News that Stack may have been on the radar of state investigators for as long as two years.

"DOPL is actively investigating this case," said division director David Stanley. "We expect to take appropriate action."