Ex-Wisconsin legislator found guilty in drug case

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Former state legislator Jeff Wood was found guilty Wednesday of attempting to fraudulently obtain a controlled substance, but he will serve no additional jail time.
Wood, 42, of Chippewa Falls, Wis., entered a no contest plea in Chippewa County Court. Judge James Isaacson sentenced Wood to three years of probation and 250 hours of community service and ordered him to avoid alcohol and taverns during his probation. The district attorney's office recommended no additional jail time because Wood already is serving a sentence for a prior drunken driving conviction.
Wood is receiving treatment for substance abuse issues at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center and will be there for another three weeks.
Isaacson read in and dismissed a forgery charge.
Wood was arrested Aug. 30 on an order from his probation agent and remained in the Chippewa County Jail until Oct. 20, jail records show.
According to the criminal complaint:
Wood entered Medicine Shoppe pharmacy in Chippewa Falls on Aug. 24 with a prescription for acetaminophen, the generic equivalent of Tylenol, that contained codeine. However, Wood had added a zero to the number of pills he was supposed to obtain in the prescription.
Chippewa Falls police investigated the case and spoke to Wood, who admitted he falsified his prescription form.
Wood, who pleaded guilty to his fifth drunken driving offense in January in Monroe County, was ordered to serve nine months in jail with Huber work-release privileges.
He was placed on probation with the sentence withheld for three years, court records show. In addition to the jail sentence, Wood was ordered to pay $3,020 in fines and court costs, not possess controlled substances unless they are in his name and complete a drug and alcohol assessment. His driver's license was revoked for three years.
Wood, who was elected to the state Assembly in 2002 as a Republican before switching to being an independent, didn't run for re-election last fall.
When Wood was arrested in Marathon County in September 2009, he had high levels of dextromethorphan, also known as DXM, an ingredient in cough syrup that can cause hallucinations when used in larger doses, in his system, according to a state lab report.
In an interview with the Leader-Telegram after his arrest, Wood defended the high levels, saying he never takes cough medication that has alcohol in it. He said he wasn't aware the chemical would affect his system.
The lab report states that Wood had 89 nanograms per milliliter of DXM in his system, far above the normal level of fewer than 10 nanograms per milliliter.


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