Update (2:03 p.m. on Nov. 27)

Officials announced on Nov. 27 that Hedrick’s fraud trial, originally scheduled for Monday, has been continued until 2024. Hedrick is being held in the Delaware County jail without bond.

Original Story:

DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind. — A Muncie doctor who was previously convicted of illegally writing drug prescriptions has once again been charged after he reportedly bribed a potential witness in an upcoming jury trial.

According to court documents, filed Wednesday in Delaware County, 61-year-old William Hedrick was charged with one count of attempted bribery, a Level 5 felony; one count of attempted aiding, inducing or causing perjury, a Level 6 felony; one count of attempted obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony, as well as a misdemeanor harassments charge.

Hedrick, who previously operated the Centers for Pain Relief location in Muncie, was previously sentenced to two years of house arrest after he was found guilty of forgery and prescription-related registration offenses, according to previous reports. Officials said at the time that Hedrick and his Muncie clinic contributed to the deaths of eight people through over-prescribing pain medications.

Along with being found guilty to the other offenses, Hedrick is scheduled to face a jury trial later this month after he was also charged with one count of Medicaid fraud, a Level 6 felony. This relates to Hedrick reportedly submitting “false and fraudulent information” to the Indiana Medicaid program for reimbursement.

On Nov. 13, a potential witness in the fraud case approached the state, saying that she had received contact from Hedrick in reference to the trial. The witness told the state that Hedrick reportedly sent her several texts and was harassing her about the case.

“(The witness) expressed that she was ‘terrified’ as a result of (Hedrick’s) actions,” the documents read. “She stated that she felt (that Hedrick) was getting ‘desperate’ and didn’t know what he might do next.”

The documents said that Hedrick offered the potential witness money multiple times in exchange for meeting with him and to “work on” his case. One one point, Hedrick reportedly asked the potential witness what he could do to “make it worth (her) time.”

In all, Hedrick sent more than 20 messages to the potential witness, including after she told Hedrick that he was “harassing her and that she (was) going to contact local law enforcement.” The jury trial in the Medicaid fraud cause is scheduled for Nov. 27.