US Supreme Court Set To Hear St. Louis Case

Members of the US Supreme Court today will hear arguments over whether the federal government can inject a St. Louis area dentist with anti-psychotic drugs to make him fit for trial. Doctor Charles “Tom” Sell has been in the federal prison hospital in Springfield for almost six years. He was arrested in 1997 and charged with health care fraud, Medicaid fraud and money laundering. He also is accused of trying to have an FBI agent killed. Federal prosecutors want to medicate Sell to treat a delusional disorder a prison psychiatrist claims he suffers from. Sell has refused to take the drugs and has refused to bargain with prosecutors to reduced charges. An appeals court has ruled federal officials have the right to forcibly inject Sell with the drugs.