5th man arrested on charge tied to Indiana HIV outbreak
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) – Federal agents say a fifth man has been arrested in connection with the largest HIV outbreak in Indiana history.
The Drug Enforcement Administration announced Monday that 33-year-old Charles Pruett was arrested June 24 in Bremen, Georgia. His hometown wasn’t disclosed.
It says Pruett will be extradited to face conspiracy to deal methamphetamine charges in southern Indiana’s Clark County.
Investigators had identified Pruett as a supplier of methamphetamine and the narcotic painkiller Opana to Clark and adjacent Scott County.
It’s not clear whether Pruett has an attorney.
Four other men were arrested this month in Clark County.
Indiana officials say needle-sharing among people injecting liquefied Opana and other drugs has driven the HIV outbreak in which at least 170 people have tested positive for HIV this year, mostly in Scott County.