OH - Pike County: 8 people from one family dead as police hunt for killer(s) - #30

[RAISINISBACK]

Interesting, I looked up that incident.


No doubt plenty of dealers went there to stock up for resale in the big cities, too.

Kermit has a long history of enriching itself through silently sanctioning illegal schemes, beginning with insurance fraud in the '70s. http://people.com/archive/almost-he...a-was-more-like-the-other-place-vol-30-no-20/

However, it never seems to have led to anyone being murdered,.

Anyhow, their illegal pill scheme, back then when the rules were much looser than now, depended on a corrupt pharmacist and corrupt doctors, and, given the risks they were taking, I don’t think they’d have handed any potential profits over to a nursing assistant and her extended family.

I think if this Ohio crime had been drug-related, it wouldn’t have been a massacre. All the perp would have had to do was threaten to cause harm to any of the children, or hurt one person, or at the extreme kill one person, to have gotten what they wanted. Dealers don’t want to draw the FBI to the area, intensely nosing around.

BBM

I agree with you on that. I too think that if it were some type drug organization they would have just taken out the ones who were actually involved in selling the drugs.

But I was thinking more like the R's threatened to talk to authorities. That a falling out occurred with their partners and they were threatening to rat them out so to speak. I also think that if those partners were the W's that there would have been some hate/revenge also, since JW is SW, HR's daughter's father. Remember, according to LM. BW and CR1 had an altercation a couple of weeks before the murders because The W's were pressuring HR to give up her parental rights to SW.

 

[Betty P]

Interesting, I looked up that incident.


No doubt plenty of dealers went there to stock up for resale in the big cities, too.

Kermit has a long history of enriching itself through silently sanctioning illegal schemes, beginning with insurance fraud in the '70s. http://people.com/archive/almost-he...a-was-more-like-the-other-place-vol-30-no-20/

However, it never seems to have led to anyone being murdered,.

Anyhow, their illegal pill scheme, back then when the rules were much looser than now, depended on a corrupt pharmacist and corrupt doctors, and, given the risks they were taking, I don’t think they’d have handed any potential profits over to a nursing assistant and her extended family.

I think if this Ohio crime had been drug-related, it wouldn’t have been a massacre. All the perp would have had to do was threaten to cause harm to any of the children, or hurt one person, or at the extreme kill one person, to have gotten what they wanted. Dealers don’t want to draw the FBI to the area, intensely nosing around.

Fascinating, yet terrible history there. Organized crime of one kind or another (the general classification I use) has been going on for generations in these areas. Recent years have shown other organized crime groups from other regions are working in this area. The DEA reports show that - groups from Mexico, Florida, Detroit, etc. It seems to vary according to the type of illegal substance and/or activity (prostitution) being peddled.

None of the gangs want to attract the FBI or DEA, but some OC groups are more likely to resort to murder than others.

Conversely, if a criminal boss, etc. thought they had the connections to keep the FBI out of the investigation, they may have been willing to risk a horrific massacre. Perhaps the killers of the Rhodens knew they could get by with their crimes before they committed them. Turns out, they were right. The FBI has been kept out of the investigation. Who has the power to make that promise? Or was it just a calculated risk?

JMO, the Rhoden murders were meant to both eliminate a threat and to send a very strong message to others. Cross us and you'll be destroyed and no one will stop us.

As the sheriff said: This is bigger than drugs.

 

[Betty P]

Two big questions:

Who has the power to keep the FBI out of this investigation?

What circumstances could make the FBI stay out of this investigation?

For the second question, a lot of us have long speculated there's an ongoing investigation that can't be compromised, etc. Putting FBI or DEA undercover agents, etc. at risk. Some big bust coming in the future that will solve this and many other crimes. It's been a year and a half with nothing. Feds questioning the W family numerous times on their way to AK after leaving OH indicates to me they want to investigate.

Maybe one of the reasons the homes, cars and possessions of the murdered Rhodens/Gilleys were locked up was to keep other LE officers from examining them. Were the final autopsy reports locked away/redacted for the same reason?

 

[RAISINISBACK]

https://www.salon.com/2012/04/11/ame...pping_capital/

People in these parts have a word for pill abuse: "pilling." So much of it goes on that everyone has a story. They know someone who has abused or is abusing pills. They know parents who have lost custody of their children or neighbors who have lost good jobs or friends who have died because of them. They are shocked to hear that in some places in the country, say, San Francisco, pilling is neither a word nor a fact of life.

This went on for years before the law could stop it.

But shutting down pill mills in these parts is like playing Whac-A-Mole: As soon as a lawless “pain management” clinic or pharmacy is smacked down, others spring up. Investigations take years before prosecutions can be secured. And pill mills are only part of the problem. Most often, pill addicts get their drugs from friends or on the street. Drug gangs from cities like Detroit, Atlanta and Columbus, Ohio, have also moved in on the action, setting up drug “stores” in residences and other fronts. Almost fondly, people here recall when Oxycontin was jokingly called “hillbilly heroin ”and pill addicts were “pillbillies.” No one is joking now. What is happening in Appalachia, about 10 years into an explosion of prescription drug abuse, is so pervasive a problem that law enforcement officials say they cannot solve it alone.

What I am going to say could be wildly offensive to some of you, but please understand that I am not trying to be derogatory to the area or the Appalachian people. I am just trying to figure out why my government allowed so many, doctors, pharmacies, drug companies and distributors to nearly decimate an area of my country by getting them addicted to a drug that will eventually kill them.

I know some of you are gritting your teeth right now but please bear with me. I promise i will try to explain why I think this relates to the murder of the R's.

In that area of Appalachia, the coal mining area, work has been steadily declining in the last 20 years. People are put out of work because the demand for coal has decreased dramatically. With no other skills and no education, those workers have no choice but to sign up on public assistance (food stamps, SSI, ect.) to support their families. They become a burden on the state and the country.

Around the same time the decreased demand for coal began and workers were forced to go on public assistance, these pill mills sprang up, so that all of these out of work miners had easy access to medications that could potentially kill them. And it is killing them. In droves. These same workers that had skills that were in demand but were now no longer useful to society because there was no place to put those skills to use have now become a burden on the rest of the country.

I realize that coal mining is hard work. But here the workers on the oil rigs and oil related jobs work just as hard. Working on a drilling unit, oil rig or building the tanks to store oil is back breaking work. It is a very dangerous job. People get hurt all the time. But we didn't get an influx of "pill mills" nor did we get any 9 million pills per every 392 people either. Could it be because the workers here are still working and oil is still in high demand? In other words the workers here are still a productive part of society who for the most part have never seen the inside of a "welfare" office?

Think about the rest of the country. In areas where unemployment is low and workers make good wages there are no pill mills. No huge shipments of drugs.

I am not a conspiracy theorist. I do not believe my country is out to "get" me. I do not believe the federal government is deliberately killing off people.

But the question is, why did the government turn a blind eye to so many pills being shipped to such a small area? Why did it take so long to pass laws to shut down these "pill mills"? And more importantly why did these pills mills and pill shipments happen in an area where the people were no longer working?

I would like to hear others opinions on this and how it may relate to the murders of the R's who lived in that small area where these drugs are most prevalent.

Could it be the reason why there is so much silence in this case? Why no one in LE seems to care if these murders are solved and the killer brought to justice?

Could this be some plan of our federal government for population control by getting rid of the poor people who are no longer working?

 

[Betty P]

https://www.salon.com/2012/04/11/ame...pping_capital/

People in these parts have a word for pill abuse: "pilling." So much of it goes on that everyone has a story. They know someone who has abused or is abusing pills. They know parents who have lost custody of their children or neighbors who have lost good jobs or friends who have died because of them. They are shocked to hear that in some places in the country, say, San Francisco, pilling is neither a word nor a fact of life.

This went on for years before the law could stop it.

But shutting down pill mills in these parts is like playing Whac-A-Mole: As soon as a lawless “pain management” clinic or pharmacy is smacked down, others spring up. Investigations take years before prosecutions can be secured. And pill mills are only part of the problem. Most often, pill addicts get their drugs from friends or on the street. Drug gangs from cities like Detroit, Atlanta and Columbus, Ohio, have also moved in on the action, setting up drug “stores” in residences and other fronts. Almost fondly, people here recall when Oxycontin was jokingly called “hillbilly heroin ”and pill addicts were “pillbillies.” No one is joking now. What is happening in Appalachia, about 10 years into an explosion of prescription drug abuse, is so pervasive a problem that law enforcement officials say they cannot solve it alone.

What I am going to say could be wildly offensive to some of you, but please understand that I am not trying to be derogatory to the area or the Appalachian people. I am just trying to figure out why my government allowed so many, doctors, pharmacies, drug companies and distributors to nearly decimate an area of my country by getting them addicted to a drug that will eventually kill them.

I know some of you are gritting your teeth right now but please bear with me. I promise i will try to explain why I think this relates to the murder of the R's.

In that area of Appalachia, the coal mining area, work has been steadily declining in the last 20 years. People are put out of work because the demand for coal has decreased dramatically. With no other skills and no education, those workers have no choice but to sign up on public assistance (food stamps, SSI, ect.) to support their families. They become a burden on the state and the country.

Around the same time the decreased demand for coal began and workers were forced to go on public assistance, these pill mills sprang up, so that all of these out of work miners had easy access to medications that could potentially kill them. And it is killing them. In droves. These same workers that had skills that were in demand but were now no longer useful to society because there was no place to put those skills to use have now become a burden on the rest of the country.

I realize that coal mining is hard work. But here the workers on the oil rigs and oil related jobs work just as hard. Working on a drilling unit, oil rig or building the tanks to store oil is back breaking work. It is a very dangerous job. People get hurt all the time. But we didn't get an influx of "pill mills" nor did we get any 9 million pills per every 392 people either. Could it be because the workers here are still working and oil is still in high demand? In other words the workers here are still a productive part of society who for the most part have never seen the inside of a "welfare" office?

Think about the rest of the country. In areas where unemployment is low and workers make good wages there are no pill mills. No huge shipments of drugs.

I am not a conspiracy theorist. I do not believe my country is out to "get" me. I do not believe the federal government is deliberately killing off people.

But the question is, why did the government turn a blind eye to so many pills being shipped to such a small area? Why did it take so long to pass laws to shut down these "pill mills"? And more importantly why did these pills mills and pill shipments happen in an area where the people were no longer working?

I would like to hear others opinions on this and how it may relate to the murders of the R's who lived in that small area where these drugs are most prevalent.

Could it be the reason why there is so much silence in this case? Why no one in LE seems to care if these murders are solved and the killer brought to justice?

Could this be some plan of our federal government for population control by getting rid of the poor people who are no longer working?

I don't think anyone is targeting any regions for drug abuse. The 60 Minutes show and Members of Congress pushing through the bill protecting pharma from the DEA is more tied to greed and political contributions than anything. Some politicians have a poor opinion of the general public and zero humanity and feel people are to blame for their own addictions.

Unusual timing for your comment, though. I posted the other day about getting telemarketing calls for people pushing pain management. I just received one and instead of hanging up, I followed it for a little while. The pain management industry seems to be targeting people at random, or at least targeting older people and those on Medicare or Medicaid.

I answer the phone and it's a pre-recorded pitch from a woman designed to respond to your answers through voice prompt. Are you interested in learning more about getting pain medication? I answered "yes" this time and was transferred to a man at a call center (background noise) with a hispanic accent. No kidding, I listened carefully.

After asking me a couple of questions about type of insurance and general health, he transferred me to a guy named "Sam". At the beginning of the call they referred to their business as "Medical Health Center". When "Sam" answered the phone, he said he was with "Medical Solutions". He asked more questions about my age, overall health, where was my pain (I said "back" even though my back is fine). Asked my first name and the name of my health insurance plan.

After getting this little bit of information, Sam said he was going to transfer me to a medical doctor who would arrange to write a prescription for pain medication and have it shipped to me by mail. Ok, I chickened out at this point. I said I would have to think about it and they should give me a call back.

I hope this isn't some scam to prescribe and sell people actual pain medication over the phone. What do you think?


As for the Rhodens, there's no evidence or indication so far they were involved in any way with prescription pain meds/opiates, etc.
One would think PCSO or BCI would have mentioned it since they talked so much about the grow ops.

Some have wondered about LM's mention of Dana's employer Lawshe Nursing Home. The W grandparents owned some kind of home care company. Didn't CR1 have a partnership of some kind (though inactive, IIRC) with his boss for some kind of home care service? In such a low population region, there's probably some cross-pollination of illegal drug/MJ activities. With the exception of Gary, it seemed none of the other family members were involved with hard drugs.

 

[Margo/Mom]

https://www.salon.com/2012/04/11/ame...pping_capital/

People in these parts have a word for pill abuse: "pilling." So much of it goes on that everyone has a story. They know someone who has abused or is abusing pills. They know parents who have lost custody of their children or neighbors who have lost good jobs or friends who have died because of them. They are shocked to hear that in some places in the country, say, San Francisco, pilling is neither a word nor a fact of life.

This went on for years before the law could stop it.

But shutting down pill mills in these parts is like playing Whac-A-Mole: As soon as a lawless “pain management” clinic or pharmacy is smacked down, others spring up. Investigations take years before prosecutions can be secured. And pill mills are only part of the problem. Most often, pill addicts get their drugs from friends or on the street. Drug gangs from cities like Detroit, Atlanta and Columbus, Ohio, have also moved in on the action, setting up drug “stores” in residences and other fronts. Almost fondly, people here recall when Oxycontin was jokingly called “hillbilly heroin ”and pill addicts were “pillbillies.” No one is joking now. What is happening in Appalachia, about 10 years into an explosion of prescription drug abuse, is so pervasive a problem that law enforcement officials say they cannot solve it alone.

What I am going to say could be wildly offensive to some of you, but please understand that I am not trying to be derogatory to the area or the Appalachian people. I am just trying to figure out why my government allowed so many, doctors, pharmacies, drug companies and distributors to nearly decimate an area of my country by getting them addicted to a drug that will eventually kill them.

I know some of you are gritting your teeth right now but please bear with me. I promise i will try to explain why I think this relates to the murder of the R's.

In that area of Appalachia, the coal mining area, work has been steadily declining in the last 20 years. People are put out of work because the demand for coal has decreased dramatically. With no other skills and no education, those workers have no choice but to sign up on public assistance (food stamps, SSI, ect.) to support their families. They become a burden on the state and the country.

Around the same time the decreased demand for coal began and workers were forced to go on public assistance, these pill mills sprang up, so that all of these out of work miners had easy access to medications that could potentially kill them. And it is killing them. In droves. These same workers that had skills that were in demand but were now no longer useful to society because there was no place to put those skills to use have now become a burden on the rest of the country.

I realize that coal mining is hard work. But here the workers on the oil rigs and oil related jobs work just as hard. Working on a drilling unit, oil rig or building the tanks to store oil is back breaking work. It is a very dangerous job. People get hurt all the time. But we didn't get an influx of "pill mills" nor did we get any 9 million pills per every 392 people either. Could it be because the workers here are still working and oil is still in high demand? In other words the workers here are still a productive part of society who for the most part have never seen the inside of a "welfare" office?

Think about the rest of the country. In areas where unemployment is low and workers make good wages there are no pill mills. No huge shipments of drugs.

I am not a conspiracy theorist. I do not believe my country is out to "get" me. I do not believe the federal government is deliberately killing off people.

But the question is, why did the government turn a blind eye to so many pills being shipped to such a small area? Why did it take so long to pass laws to shut down these "pill mills"? And more importantly why did these pills mills and pill shipments happen in an area where the people were no longer working?

I would like to hear others opinions on this and how it may relate to the murders of the R's who lived in that small area where these drugs are most prevalent.

Could it be the reason why there is so much silence in this case? Why no one in LE seems to care if these murders are solved and the killer brought to justice?

Could this be some plan of our federal government for population control by getting rid of the poor people who are no longer working?

I am not personally big on government conspiracies. Way too many moving parts to implement any cohesive plans.

However, if you want to know how these kinds of problems can become huge without being noticed or alarms being triggered, check into the recent Drug Czar kerfuffle. Government at its best has an interested in high employment and a strong economy. However, it is also vulnerable to a variety of interests. No way around the reality that drug manufacturers benefit from high levels of drug use and sales. Some may argue that we only paid attention to opioid addiction when it moved from the rural areas to the suburbs. And of course the first best efforts of some of the lawnorder types (Ohio Governor John Kasich) had to do with closing down the legal-looking pain-clinic pill mills. This then drove a stunning increase in street drugs and heroin. Clearly attacking the supply did not alter the demand. There is such a thing as treatment for addiction, but frankly our capacity is nowhere near the need. And prisons represent the highest-priced and least effective means of treating both mental illness and addiction

So, legislators have been about looking at ways to fund an expansion of treatment beds and at the same time put in place greater regulation of drug companies shipping millions of highly addictive substances to single locations, etc, in the hope of stopping addictions before they start.

And that's where our recent almost drug czar comes in. Tom Marino, the nominee, apparently was soft, very soft, on providing the DEA with regulations and enforcement "teeth" during his time in Congress. Raises the specter of being in someone's pocket. Fortunately some journalists were able to make a strong enough case that making him drug czar would be like contracting with the fox to guard the henhouse that he was forced to remove his name from nomination.

So, planning, yes. But not by the government and not about controlling the surplus population. More like the individual efforts of a number of companies making good money off of the current situation and not wanting government to interfere.

 

[Margo/Mom]

I don't think anyone is targeting any regions for drug abuse. The 60 Minutes show and Members of Congress pushing through the bill protecting pharma from the DEA is more tied to greed and political contributions than anything. Some politicians have a poor opinion of the general public and zero humanity and feel people are to blame for their own addictions.

Unusual timing for your comment, though. I posted the other day about getting telemarketing calls for people pushing pain management. I just received one and instead of hanging up, I followed it for a little while. The pain management industry seems to be targeting people at random, or at least targeting older people and those on Medicare or Medicaid.

I answer the phone and it's a pre-recorded pitch from a woman designed to respond to your answers through voice prompt. Are you interested in learning more about getting pain medication? I answered "yes" this time and was transferred to a man at a call center (background noise) with a hispanic accent. No kidding, I listened carefully.

After asking me a couple of questions about type of insurance and general health, he transferred me to a guy named "Sam". At the beginning of the call they referred to their business as "Medical Health Center". When "Sam" answered the phone, he said he was with "Medical Solutions". He asked more questions about my age, overall health, where was my pain (I said "back" even though my back is fine). Asked my first name and the name of my health insurance plan.

After getting this little bit of information, Sam said he was going to transfer me to a medical doctor who would arrange to write a prescription for pain medication and have it shipped to me by mail. Ok, I chickened out at this point. I said I would have to think about it and they should give me a call back.

I hope this isn't some scam to prescribe and sell people actual pain medication over the phone. What do you think?


As for the Rhodens, there's no evidence or indication so far they were involved in any way with prescription pain meds/opiates, etc.
One would think PCSO or BCI would have mentioned it since they talked so much about the grow ops.

Some have wondered about LM's mention of Dana's employer Lawshe Nursing Home. The W grandparents owned some kind of home care company. Didn't CR1 have a partnership of some kind (though inactive, IIRC) with his boss for some kind of home care service? In such a low population region, there's probably some cross-pollination of illegal drug/MJ activities. With the exception of Gary, it seemed none of the other family members were involved with hard drugs.

Either selling drugs or phishing for useful information (most ins cos use SS# as their ID). Or both.

 

[Whiskers16]

I don't think anyone is targeting any regions for drug abuse. The 60 Minutes show and Members of Congress pushing through the bill protecting pharma from the DEA is more tied to greed and political contributions than anything. Some politicians have a poor opinion of the general public and zero humanity and feel people are to blame for their own addictions.

Unusual timing for your comment, though. I posted the other day about getting telemarketing calls for people pushing pain management. I just received one and instead of hanging up, I followed it for a little while. The pain management industry seems to be targeting people at random, or at least targeting older people and those on Medicare or Medicaid.

I answer the phone and it's a pre-recorded pitch from a woman designed to respond to your answers through voice prompt. Are you interested in learning more about getting pain medication? I answered "yes" this time and was transferred to a man at a call center (background noise) with a hispanic accent. No kidding, I listened carefully.

After asking me a couple of questions about type of insurance and general health, he transferred me to a guy named "Sam". At the beginning of the call they referred to their business as "Medical Health Center". When "Sam" answered the phone, he said he was with "Medical Solutions". He asked more questions about my age, overall health, where was my pain (I said "back" even though my back is fine). Asked my first name and the name of my health insurance plan.

After getting this little bit of information, Sam said he was going to transfer me to a medical doctor who would arrange to write a prescription for pain medication and have it shipped to me by mail. Ok, I chickened out at this point. I said I would have to think about it and they should give me a call back.

I hope this isn't some scam to prescribe and sell people actual pain medication over the phone. What do you think?


As for the Rhodens, there's no evidence or indication so far they were involved in any way with prescription pain meds/opiates, etc.
One would think PCSO or BCI would have mentioned it since they talked so much about the grow ops.

Some have wondered about LM's mention of Dana's employer Lawshe Nursing Home. The W grandparents owned some kind of home care company. Didn't CR1 have a partnership of some kind (though inactive, IIRC) with his boss for some kind of home care service? In such a low population region, there's probably some cross-pollination of illegal drug/MJ activities. With the exception of Gary, it seemed none of the other family members were involved with hard drugs.

Curious question, at any point did you get the impression they were going to request credit card info? Or are they just (supposedly) giving you a script once you provide name, address, insurer etc?

Would that information be enough to do anything fraudulent with? For example they sell the info to someone who can go to the doctor posing as you to get pain pills?

 

[samanthalawson69]

I read a statement about other hard jobs compared to coal miners. It might benefit everyone to do some research into the conditions they have to work in. Also studies of the region's economic and social environment. Throw in what other type of work they have available to them after being hurt or even losing jobs.

Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 158085]

I don't think anyone is targeting any regions for drug abuse. The 60 Minutes show and Members of Congress pushing through the bill protecting pharma from the DEA is more tied to greed and political contributions than anything. Some politicians have a poor opinion of the general public and zero humanity and feel people are to blame for their own addictions.

Unusual timing for your comment, though. I posted the other day about getting telemarketing calls for people pushing pain management. I just received one and instead of hanging up, I followed it for a little while. The pain management industry seems to be targeting people at random, or at least targeting older people and those on Medicare or Medicaid.

I answer the phone and it's a pre-recorded pitch from a woman designed to respond to your answers through voice prompt. Are you interested in learning more about getting pain medication? I answered "yes" this time and was transferred to a man at a call center (background noise) with a hispanic accent. No kidding, I listened carefully.

After asking me a couple of questions about type of insurance and general health, he transferred me to a guy named "Sam". At the beginning of the call they referred to their business as "Medical Health Center". When "Sam" answered the phone, he said he was with "Medical Solutions". He asked more questions about my age, overall health, where was my pain (I said "back" even though my back is fine). Asked my first name and the name of my health insurance plan.

After getting this little bit of information, Sam said he was going to transfer me to a medical doctor who would arrange to write a prescription for pain medication and have it shipped to me by mail. Ok, I chickened out at this point. I said I would have to think about it and they should give me a call back.

I hope this isn't some scam to prescribe and sell people actual pain medication over the phone. What do you think?


As for the Rhodens, there's no evidence or indication so far they were involved in any way with prescription pain meds/opiates, etc.
One would think PCSO or BCI would have mentioned it since they talked so much about the grow ops.

Some have wondered about LM's mention of Dana's employer Lawshe Nursing Home. The W grandparents owned some kind of home care company. Didn't CR1 have a partnership of some kind (though inactive, IIRC) with his boss for some kind of home care service? In such a low population region, there's probably some cross-pollination of illegal drug/MJ activities. With the exception of Gary, it seemed none of the other family members were involved with hard drugs.

Wow, wow, wow! I have never heard of such a thing!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[RAISINISBACK]

I don't think anyone is targeting any regions for drug abuse. The 60 Minutes show and Members of Congress pushing through the bill protecting pharma from the DEA is more tied to greed and political contributions than anything. Some politicians have a poor opinion of the general public and zero humanity and feel people are to blame for their own addictions.

Unusual timing for your comment, though. I posted the other day about getting telemarketing calls for people pushing pain management. I just received one and instead of hanging up, I followed it for a little while. The pain management industry seems to be targeting people at random, or at least targeting older people and those on Medicare or Medicaid.

I answer the phone and it's a pre-recorded pitch from a woman designed to respond to your answers through voice prompt. Are you interested in learning more about getting pain medication? I answered "yes" this time and was transferred to a man at a call center (background noise) with a hispanic accent. No kidding, I listened carefully.

After asking me a couple of questions about type of insurance and general health, he transferred me to a guy named "Sam". At the beginning of the call they referred to their business as "Medical Health Center". When "Sam" answered the phone, he said he was with "Medical Solutions". He asked more questions about my age, overall health, where was my pain (I said "back" even though my back is fine). Asked my first name and the name of my health insurance plan.

After getting this little bit of information, Sam said he was going to transfer me to a medical doctor who would arrange to write a prescription for pain medication and have it shipped to me by mail. Ok, I chickened out at this point. I said I would have to think about it and they should give me a call back.

I hope this isn't some scam to prescribe and sell people actual pain medication over the phone. What do you think?


As for the Rhodens, there's no evidence or indication so far they were involved in any way with prescription pain meds/opiates, etc.
One would think PCSO or BCI would have mentioned it since they talked so much about the grow ops.

Some have wondered about LM's mention of Dana's employer Lawshe Nursing Home. The W grandparents owned some kind of home care company. Didn't CR1 have a partnership of some kind (though inactive, IIRC) with his boss for some kind of home care service? In such a low population region, there's probably some cross-pollination of illegal drug/MJ activities. With the exception of Gary, it seemed none of the other family members were involved with hard drugs.

This is kind of what I am getting at. I don't know where you live in co relation with the Appalachian area so hard hit with "pill mills" and enormous shipments of pain pills, but I have never heard of anyone getting any kind of telemarketing call like this here in my area.

I will ask around, also ask some local LE if they have received any reports of any such calls.I will also ask hubby what he knows if any thing about these calls.

But my first instinct is these telemarketing calls to supply pain pills are being limited to a certain area.

It is possible the R's were working for a "Boss Hogg" type person. The elder W's and RW/BBL would both fit that "Boss Hogg" scenario. Both the elder W's and RW would have a lot to lose if the R's "snitched" them out. Remember RW's wife is a country music singer.

 

[RAISINISBACK]

I read a statement about other hard jobs compared to coal miners. It might benefit everyone to do some research into the conditions they have to work in. Also studies of the region's economic and social environment. Throw in what other type of work they have available to them after being hurt or even losing jobs.

Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk

I am well aware that coal miners work in terrible conditions and that the work is back breaking.

But it may also benefit everyone to research the working conditions of oil field workers. I can supply a little of that research from knowledge i have picked up from people.

Oil field workers and oil related workers sometimes work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week during a turn around. At the very least they put in 10 and 12 hour days mostly 6 days a week. They work on drilling units where they handle pipe weighing hundreds of pounds. They work high in the air, rain, shine, snow or heat. They work in weld and fabrication shops where they are stooped down 10 to 12 hours a day welding tanks. Obviously that generates heat making the work conditions in summer when temps can get over 100 degrees during the day not only miserable but dangerous. In the winter the only heat in those shops is what is generated from the welding machines.

Those who work out in the field on the rigs are also working long days in the intense heat under the direct sun. In winter It is just as bad because temps can dip below zero with winds out of the north of about 10-50 miles an hour. They work through storms with lightening and tornadoes with no place to take shelter. They have to climb the oil derricks and then stoop down all day to weld pipe in place. Many are severely injured and killed when they fall off those derricks or the derrick collapses, or the well blows from the gases.

Everyone in this area knows someone who has been hurt or killed on an oil derrick. It's just that common. To the point of being almost an every day thing.

Then those who build the storage tanks have to weld them, fit them up which involves lifting steel into place and clean them. Many have been hurt building the heat exchangers for the refineries which can weigh up to 30,000 pounds and can come loose and swing around at any time. The tanks can explode during cleaning.

Those workers are breathing lethal chemicals from the welding rods all day causing most of them to end up with COPD. The arcs from the welds causes many of the to have diminished eyesight and some go almost totally blind.

My father was a pipefitter who was severely injured on the job. He was building heat exchangers when one came loose and swung around and hit him. He suffered two broken hips, a broken back, his pelvic bone was broken in three places and he had severe internal injuries. He was in a wheel chair for years and when he was finally able to walk he limped for the rest of his life. His is just one story out of thousands of stories just like it around here.

It is always big news when a mine collapses and miners are killed, injured or trapped. But it doesn't even warrant a line in the local paper when an oil derrick collapses and kills, injures or traps the workers. That is because it is so common here.

 

[samanthalawson69]

I am well aware that coal miners work in terrible conditions and that the work is back breaking.

But it may also benefit everyone to research the working conditions of oil field workers. I can supply a little of that research from knowledge i have picked up from people.

Oil field workers and oil related workers sometimes work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week during a turn around. At the very least they put in 10 and 12 hour days mostly 6 days a week. They work on drilling units where they handle pipe weighing hundreds of pounds. They work high in the air, rain, shine, snow or heat. They work in weld and fabrication shops where they are stooped down 10 to 12 hours a day welding tanks. Obviously that generates heat making the work conditions in summer when temps can get over 100 degrees during the day not only miserable but dangerous. In the winter the only heat in those shops is what is generated from the welding machines.

Those who work out in the field on the rigs are also working long days in the intense heat under the direct sun. In winter It is just as bad because temps can dip below zero with winds out of the north of about 10-50 miles an hour. They work through storms with lightening and tornadoes with no place to take shelter. They have to climb the oil derricks and then stoop down all day to weld pipe in place. Many are severely injured and killed when they fall off those derricks or the derrick collapses, or the well blows from the gases.

Everyone in this area knows someone who has been hurt or killed on an oil derrick. It's just that common. To the point of being almost an every day thing.

Then those who build the storage tanks have to weld them, fit them up which involves lifting steel into place and clean them. Many have been hurt building the heat exchangers for the refineries which can weigh up to 30,000 pounds and can come loose and swing around at any time. The tanks can explode during cleaning.

Those workers are breathing lethal chemicals from the welding rods all day causing most of them to end up with COPD. The arcs from the welds causes many of the to have diminished eyesight and some go almost totally blind.

My father was a pipefitter who was severely injured on the job. He was building heat exchangers when one came loose and swung around and hit him. He suffered two broken hips, a broken back, his pelvic bone was broken in three places and he had severe internal injuries. He was in a wheel chair for years and when he was finally able to walk he limped for the rest of his life. His is just one story out of thousands of stories just like it around here.

It is always big news when a mine collapses and miners are killed, injured or trapped. But it doesn't even warrant a line in the local paper when an oil derrick collapses and kills, injures or traps the workers. That is because it is so common here.

Your father was the kind of man who built this country. I'm not suggesting that oil workers are less than in any way. I'm suggesting if anyone is going to compare coal miner to other vocations you also know about the region they live in. It's apples and oranges. Just to add...you don't hear about deaths because the roof of a 18 inch mine shaft collapsed or any other accident. It's just the big collapses that the coal companies can't control getting out.

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[Jennifer17]

I am not in the US, but my husband was a coal miner and two sons in law, still are. We rarely have fatalities in the mines.

 

[samanthalawson69]

I am not in the US, but my husband was a coal miner and two sons in law, still are. We rarely have fatalities in the mines.

To say there aren't deaths in US coal mines is a conversation I'm unwilling to have. Deceased coal miners don't need pain pills which, I believe, was the discussion. If you don't have all the data of an area how can you have a real understanding of why pills were able to take hold so quickly?

Did the Rhoden's deal in pain pills? I didn't read anywhere that they did except in the start when there were false allegations thrown about by LE and the media. Their pot plants weren't touched and neither was the money right?

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[RAISINISBACK]

Your father was the kind of man who built this country. I'm not suggesting that oil workers are less than in any way. I'm suggesting if anyone is going to compare coal miner to other vocations you also know about the region they live in. It's apples and oranges. Just to add...you don't hear about deaths because the roof of a 18 inch mine shaft collapsed or any other accident. It's just the big collapses that the coal companies can't control getting out.

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The fact that there are many occupations that are hard work and dangerous is why I am questioning why it is only in the Appalachian region that pill mills and huge shipments of pain pills showed up.

There are many hard and dangerous jobs, if you have ever watched Deadliest Catch where they proudly tout their job a the most dangerous in the world, and you can see the horrible working conditions live right on your TV screen. But yet there are no news stories about the prevalence of pill mills and huge shipments of pain pills to Alaska.

Then there are the road construction workers who work out in heat and cold and run the risk of being crushed or ran over by a car.

You have the coal miners, steel mill workers, construction workers, oil field workers, just to name a few that comes to mind, who spend hours a day at back breaking work.

But yet it is only the coal mining area where these lethal painkillers have been handed out like so much candy at a Russell Stover's store.

And it is only the coal mining industry that has been on the decline with people off work and unable to find a job.

That is what makes me think there is a direct co-relation between the out of work miners and the influx of powerful painkillers that can and does kill those same unemployed miners.

 

[RAISINISBACK]

To say there aren't deaths in US coal mines is a conversation I'm unwilling to have. Deceased coal miners don't need pain pills which, I believe, was the discussion. If you don't have all the data of an area how can you have a real understanding of why pills were able to take hold so quickly?

Did the Rhoden's deal in pain pills? I didn't read anywhere that they did except in the start when there were false allegations thrown about by LE and the media. Their pot plants weren't touched and neither was the money right?

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Because of the secrecy of this case by the LE involved, we just don't know. There was one poster on here who claimed to personally know KR and the other R's who also claimed they had began selling some of the harder drugs.

That person was never verified a person with inside knowledge so we were not able to ascertain if they did indeed know the R's, Kr and CR1, had gotten into selling pain pills or some other hard drug.

But there is one irrefutable fact. These eight people were murdered and something in their life or lifestyle got them killed.

 

[samanthalawson69]

The fact that there are many occupations that are hard work and dangerous is why I am questioning why it is only in the Appalachian region that pill mills and huge shipments of pain pills showed up.

There are many hard and dangerous jobs, if you have ever watched Deadliest Catch where they proudly tout their job a the most dangerous in the world, and you can see the horrible working conditions live right on your TV screen. But yet there are no news stories about the prevalence of pill mills and huge shipments of pain pills to Alaska.

Then there are the road construction workers who work out in heat and cold and run the risk of being crushed or ran over by a car.

You have the coal miners, steel mill workers, construction workers, oil field workers, just to name a few that comes to mind, who spend hours a day at back breaking work.

But yet it is only the coal mining area where these lethal painkillers have been handed out like so much candy at a Russell Stover's store.

And it is only the coal mining industry that has been on the decline with people off work and unable to find a job.

That is what makes me think there is a direct co-relation between the out of work miners and the influx of powerful painkillers that can and does kill those same unemployed miners.

From a real life perspective of you are interested....there is a real lack of jobs in the areas of coal mine region's. That's the statistics I thought would interest you. There's another side of the whole issue...doctors have them out like candy to just about anyone. Pill mills everywhere and when the feds started shutting things down people started the pill pipelines. There is so much I could tell you from a personal point but I'm not sure I can post that here

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[samanthalawson69]

Because of the secrecy of this case by the LE involved, we just don't know. There was one poster on here who claimed to personally know KR and the other R's who also claimed they had began selling some of the harder drugs.

That person was never verified a person with inside knowledge so we were not able to ascertain if they did indeed know the R's, Kr and CR1, had gotten into selling pain pills or some other hard drug.

But there is one irrefutable fact. These eight people were murdered and something in their life or lifestyle got them killed.

I agree with you. I honestly believe LE are in the very least out of their depth and at the worst involved in this.

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[rsd1200]

I don't think anyone is targeting any regions for drug abuse. The 60 Minutes show and Members of Congress pushing through the bill protecting pharma from the DEA is more tied to greed and political contributions than anything. Some politicians have a poor opinion of the general public and zero humanity and feel people are to blame for their own addictions.

Unusual timing for your comment, though. I posted the other day about getting telemarketing calls for people pushing pain management. I just received one and instead of hanging up, I followed it for a little while. The pain management industry seems to be targeting people at random, or at least targeting older people and those on Medicare or Medicaid.

I answer the phone and it's a pre-recorded pitch from a woman designed to respond to your answers through voice prompt. Are you interested in learning more about getting pain medication? I answered "yes" this time and was transferred to a man at a call center (background noise) with a hispanic accent. No kidding, I listened carefully.

After asking me a couple of questions about type of insurance and general health, he transferred me to a guy named "Sam". At the beginning of the call they referred to their business as "Medical Health Center". When "Sam" answered the phone, he said he was with "Medical Solutions". He asked more questions about my age, overall health, where was my pain (I said "back" even though my back is fine). Asked my first name and the name of my health insurance plan.

After getting this little bit of information, Sam said he was going to transfer me to a medical doctor who would arrange to write a prescription for pain medication and have it shipped to me by mail. Ok, I chickened out at this point. I said I would have to think about it and they should give me a call back.

I hope this isn't some scam to prescribe and sell people actual pain medication over the phone. What do you think?


As for the Rhodens, there's no evidence or indication so far they were involved in any way with prescription pain meds/opiates, etc.
One would think PCSO or BCI would have mentioned it since they talked so much about the grow ops.

Some have wondered about LM's mention of Dana's employer Lawshe Nursing Home. The W grandparents owned some kind of home care company. Didn't CR1 have a partnership of some kind (though inactive, IIRC) with his boss for some kind of home care service? In such a low population region, there's probably some cross-pollination of illegal drug/MJ activities. With the exception of Gary, it seemed none of the other family members were involved with hard drugs.

I think that Appalachia may have been their proving zone for Big Pharma to get docs to push (suggest) the pain meds and it rolled on as a big money machine from there and folks got hooked. Grannies are selling pills to meet their rent now, but it is by far, not restricted to Appalachia now.

Ten States With The Highest Rx Drug Abuse

https://www.cheatsheet.com/culture/...highest-prescription-drug-use.html/?a=viewall

This was as of 2012
[FONT=&amp] Each number is per 100 residents.[/FONT]

1. Alabama: 143 prescriptions per 100 people
2. Tennessee: 143
3. West Virginia: 138
4. Kentucky: 128
5. Oklahoma: 128
6. Mississippi: 120
7. Louisiana: 118
8. Arkansas: 116
9. Indiana: 109
10. Michigan: 107

The only place I've heard it mentioned that the R's had anything to do with pills was in this article and I don't know how much credit I'd give it.

The older of the two, who didn’t want to give his name, didn’t know much about Hannah, but said if you were the type of person to smoke weed or pop pills you had probably heard of the Rhodens, at least some of the younger ones. “Tell you what, you buy me a pack of cigarettes and I’ll sit down right here with you and tell you all kinds of crazy stuff about them,” he said And just like that, the talk was back to the Rhodens.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/many-in-piketon-ohio-town-turn-on-massacred-rhoden-family

PS: Don't give Sam any more information!