Spokane dentist accused of prescribing sister opioids, taking them himself

A Spokane dentist is accused of prescribing his sister opioids and taking them himself, according to court records.

After Washington State Patrol arrested Nicholas Harker, 36, for driving under the influence in May and found a nearly half empty hydrocodone acetaminophen pill bottle prescribed for his sister, detectives began investigating him for illegally prescribing opioids.

Troopers said Harker was “slow and lethargic,” a sign of narcotic use, when they interviewed him after he drove is BMW off the roadway on State Route 395 in Spokane and knocked over a yield sign, according to court records. He was uninjured in the one-vehicle crash and also had a handgun in the car.

Investigators found Harker, who practices at My Dentist in north Spokane, had prescribed his sister hydrocodone acetaminophen the day before the crash and video footage showed he picked up the prescription for 28 pills at Walmart that afternoon, according to court records. The bottle found in Harker’s car after the crash had 15 pills left, but the dosage was for four pills per day.

Prescription records showed Harker prescribed hydrocodone and carisoprodol, a muscle relaxer, to his sister 21 times since December 2016, according to court documents.

Harker attended Eastern Washington University and Marquette University School of Dentistry, according to his dentist office’s website. His Facebook account says he graduated from Pasco High School in 2001.

Harker’s arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 4 in Spokane County Superior Court.