A former Georgia House District 10 candidate was arrested Friday on drug charges after an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Jerry Bruce Harkness Sr., 49, a Habersham County lawyer, is accused of distributing hydrocodone pills without a license, according to Channel 2 Action News.
The drug is one of most widely abused prescription painkillers. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, it consistently ranks as the first or second most-abused medicines in the country.
Harkness, a former Demorest City Council member in northeast Georgia, was a Republican candidate vying for a House District 10 seat during a special election in 2011. The election was held to fill a seat left vacant by Rep. Rick Austin, who chose to run for a Senate District 50 seat. Harkness, however, lost his bid.
Authorities said he distributed the painkiller in late November and some at his Harkness Firm offices in Demorest, according to Channel 2. Harkness was also charged with using a cellphone to help with his alleged crime.
He was taken to the Habersham County Detention Center and held on $50,000 bond.
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