Hilton Head doctor sentenced on drug charges

A Hilton Head Island doctor will serve 41 months in prison for illegally distributing oxycodone, the U.S. Attorney's office in South Carolina said last week .

Dr. Roger Hershline, 54, of Hilton Head, was sentenced Thursday.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office, witnesses and records established that Hershline wrote prescriptions for painkillers for recreational users in 2006 and 2007. The office said the patients were given the prescriptions with little physical examination, medical history or need.

The prosecution alleged Hershline sold prescriptions for "thousands of doses" of oxycodone in exchange for cash, cocaine or marijuana for personal use.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office assisted in the investigation.

- The (Columbia) State