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Apr 29, 2006 7:14 pm US/Eastern
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Rush Limbaugh Arrested On Drug Charges
by Carey Codd
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS) ―
Rush Limbaugh was arrested Friday on prescription drug charges, law enforcement officials said.
Limbaugh turned himself in to authorities on a warrant issued by the state attorney's office, said agency spokeswoman Teri Barbera.
The conservative radio commentator came into the jail at about 4 p.m. with his attorney Roy Black and was released an hour later on $3,000 bail, Barbera said.
The warrant was for fraud to conceal information to obtain prescription, Barbera said.
Black says his client and authorities reached a settlement on a single count charge of doctor shopping filed by the State Attorney that will be dismissed in 18 months.
Prosecutors contend that Limbaugh engaged in "doctor shopping," or illegally deceived multiple doctors to receive overlapping prescriptions.
Limbaugh maintains he's innocent. He has acknowledged he became addicted to pain medication, blaming it on severe back pain. He took a five-week leave from his radio show to enter a rehabilitation program in 2003.
"You know I have always tried to be honest with you and open about my life," Limbaugh said during a stunning admission aired nationwide. "So I need to tell you today that part of what you have heard and read is correct. I am addicted to prescription pain medication."
In 2003, Limbaugh said he started taking painkillers "some years ago" after a doctor prescribed them following a spinal surgery. His back pain stemming from the surgery persisted, so Limbaugh said he started taking pills and became hooked.
"Over the past several years I have tried to break my dependence on pain pills and, in fact, twice checked myself into medical facilities in an attempt to do so," Limbaugh said at the time. "I have recently agreed with my physician about the next steps."
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)