I got this email .....

[Pharmacist.steve]

Thanks for your web site.
Please contact us for more information Elisabeth or Rory wynhoff at same
numbers.
NAME: Bill Ellenberg DATE: 08/24/2007

ADDRESS: 613 South “B” Street PHONE: 208-983-0218 or 208 507 0743 cell

CITY: Grangeville STATE: Idaho ZIP: 83530

Bill is has been disabled since 1992 (mental & physical) and is now on
probation in Mental Health Court. The judge is denying him his
prescribed pain medication and also commanding him to avoid all Over The
Counter pain medications as well. Any assistance would be appreciated.

I have been on probation since April 2004, and on December 07, 2006
Judge John Bradbury of
Idaho County dropped all pain medications that I have been of for
chronic pain since September 1992 and is telling my doctors not to
prescribe them for me, and is telling all people on probation to refuse
narcotics irregardless the situation.

On September 13th, 1992 I was in a severe Motorcycle accident which
resulted in need for pain medication for acute pain which evolved to
chronic fluctuating pain with the need for medication to control it.
Shortly after release from the hospital in 1992 three doctors signed
affidavits testifying that I was disabled and required Social Security
Disability. This was due to a combination of the accident and my
underlying mental issues of Schritzophrenia, Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder and Bipolar Syndrome. Within 14 months I was receiving
benefits. The doctor began prescribing Hydocodone twice daily in 1992.
This helped to control my pain allowing me to function in a moderate
capacity. I was also under medical supervision for mental illness, but
was not placed on appropriate medication for the mental illnesses until
May /June, 2004. Until that time I was only being treated for depression
whereas in June 2004 was placed on correct medications for the mental
illnesses of Schritzophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder.

In April 2004 I was arrested for assault due to threatening my neighbor
(there was no bodily contacet or damage). I was placed on probation,
which I was complaint with until November 2006 when I went off my
medications for mental illness. I ended up in Syringa General Hospital
for treatment due to decreased Level of Conscience and medical
treatment, and thus triggering a mental illness relapse. Due to this
medication error my probation was violated and this resulted in Jail
Time (why wasn’t this treated as the medical problem it was?). I was
incarcerated at Idaho County Jail and then transferred to Boise, and
then to Cottonwood at the NCIC for 3 months. After I was released I was
placed on Mental Health / Drug Court in Idaho County.

Currently Judge Bradbury has been telling all defendants in the Mental
Health / Drug Court of the Second Judicial District that they are to
refuse all narcotics from any doctor regardless of the situation. He has
stated situations such as having dental work, or being involved in a car
wreck would not justify being treated with narcotics. He has stated
openly in court on several occasions that there is no condition that
warrants narcotics to treat it. This Judge oversees Idaho County Court
in Grangeville and Clearwater County Court in Orofino. Therefore, there
are many people in the court system that are potentially being denied
pain relief by Judge Bradbury. There is one other young man that I know
of who historically had been on pain management who has also been denied
his medications by this Judge. Also, one young lady in Drug Court who
had to endure a root canal without any anesthesia (she is still
traumatized by that ordeal.).

I have requested pain medication so the court has told my primary doctor
to get me an MRI. Dr Barbara Morgan and the hospital in Moscow, Idaho
did a MRI in July 2007, but due to court instruction she declined to say
whether there was pressure on nerves or not between two heavily
compacted discs. This procedure only looked at my spine and did not
evaluate the rest of my body, which was severely damaged from the
September 1992 accident. I have repeatedly asked the Judge and he tells
me “you will not have narcotics, it isn’t happening, no way, so just
forget about it.” I have talked to my court appointed attorney and he
says it is up to the Judge, period. Several of my counselors agree that
I need pain management, and one of them says to have her called if I can
get this to court. I asked my PSR worker and she says that the judge has
stated that I can have no pain treatment out of jail, or no pain
treatment in jail if I don’t drop the issue. But I can’t drop it – I
can’t continue to live in pain every day, it’s tearing me down.

At the Court Session on 10/04/2007 Judge John Bradbury also commanded me
to cease from the use of all OTC pain medications as well. This was due
to erroneous results on my urinalysis which have been caused by the
extremely high levels of OTC pain medications that I have been on trying
to cope with the pain. So now I have no help for my pain at all. The
high levels of Tylenol (8,000mg to 12,000mg per day) I have been on are
extremely dangerous. I need proper pain management to perform my daily
activities and to avoid the imminent bodily damage from the OTC
medications if I am forced to continue taking them.

Please help! Sincerely,




Bill Ellenberg

[Mark N]

Steve, what is your evaluation of this email and what are you doing with it. Is this an example of many you get or just rarely do you get these?

[debhun]

Steve I don't know about this e-mail. Just something not right to me.

[Pharmacist.steve]

I looked up the names under hoaxes and nothing showed. http://www2.state.id.us/2djudicial/Clearwater%20County%20Drug-Mental%20Health%20Court.htm
this guy is listed as judge of this court.
It seems rather strange ... but I have ran into a couple of judges over my life.. that I would not put this totally outside the range of possibilities.
I have been told - my a reliable source - that the medical director of a state's workman's comp program - state of Wash I think - will not approve payment for any opiates for pain... so this type of mentality does exist out there.

What is described of the Bi-polar actions/reactions by the typical patient is very
"normal".

I am not totally convinced that this is real .. but ... a lot of things I find quite possible. UNREAL BUT POSSIBLE..
I responded to this email with some suggestions of who to talk to... I have made notes of the webpage for the judge and i am gong to call the clerk of the court tomorrow.. if the story is true .. the judge needs to utilized our mental health system .. if it is not .. then he needs to do whatever necessary to silence this story.. at one end of the spectrum there is TORTURE going on .. at the other end ... there is slander... neither one is acceptable.

[Mark N]

Steve, it sound like a good way to handle this email. There are too many things that ring true but you can't be sure when you don't have any info to support what is said in the email. Like you said, one of two things is going on here and neither one should continue.

[houghchrst]

OMG if this is true it is terrible and kicks in all kinds of emotions. When my bf was in the system they did nothing about all kinds of health issues he was having. Constant ear infections, abcessed tooth, burst eardrum and ear draining and bleeding everyday. ADD and depression. They did nothing. I am not surprised at this kind of treatment but the anger and a feeling of helplessness really begin to come forward.

[debhun]

I went and did a people search and no William or bill Ellenberg in Grangeville, Idaho

http://web.public-records-now.com/(S(usolhe55u0eyboiuzef4f5zg))/Search/SearchResults.aspx?vw=people&input=name&fn=William&mn=&ln=Ellenberger&city=Grangeville&state=ID&criteria=William;;;;Ellenberger;;Grangeville;;ID;; ;;;;

[Jo6]

That is very troubling. It sounds like a scam to me. lord help us all if it is true.

I have known of a few things about as strange as that email. Well, I must not judge. I just want to help those that need help.

These are the things that keep me awake at night. thanks for posting, Dr. Steve:) Jo

[Mark N]

I am betting on this being a scam but you never know.

[BrokenBladder]

I hope you're able to find out if this email is true or not. No matter what it's a bad situation.
Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Gimpy]

A scam or a joke?

If it's a scam, what is there for them to gain? Or am I missing something??? I don't believe a word of it, but I don't understand the purpose of the scam.

G

[Kathi49]

Steve,

I don't know what to think of this email either. I just don't quite trust what is being said.

Did this come through your website? Or, did it come through your own personal email account? Just curious.

[Annie B.]

...this almost sounds like the "Nigerian scams" that are all over the Web today. The grammar and language of the email is very familiar in that way.

I also found the name of the hospital interesting. Sounds like the spinal cord condition where a portion of the brain stem invades the top of the spinal cord. I'm probably completely off, but these are my immediate impressions as aI read this. Wonder if anyone has the ba//s to PM this guy and find out what he wants. I'll betcha one of two things:

1. He wants meds OR
2. (Most likely, IMHO) He's a DEA agent or the like, keeping an eye on this website. I know that this happened here going on 7 years ago. (thereabouts...)

I'm interested in how all of this plays out. Please keep us informed.

Best to all,
Annie B.

[Pharmacist.steve]

Steve,

I don't know what to think of this email either. I just don't quite trust what is being said.

Did this come through your website? Or, did it come through your own personal email account? Just curious.

It came via my website

[Gimpy]

My first impression was that he might be looking for drugs too, but I'm sure if it were true wouldn't he have to take drug tests so it wouldn't do him any good anyway. And who would give him drugs with the possibility of getting caught? Naw........

The DEA thing......... hmmmmmmmmmmm never thought of that one. Interesting.

[ErinENj]

Deb - I did the same thing actually, just I searched the entire web and found nothing. But I also went on Super Pages.com, and did a person search, trying both of the names mentioned, and the city/state, and actually found something. Then I did a reverse search, and found that the phone numbers actually matched up too. But, I just realized that it really doesn't mean much. They could legitimately have used their real names and the correct phone to be able to make it seem more believable. But who knows anymore. It could be real or it could be a really badly done hoax or even a really smart one. That's one of those problems with the web. You can never tell anymore.

[Kathi49]

Steve,

I still don't know what to think of it; whether it is legit or not. And you know as well as I do that people do these kinds of things (maybe bogus) because they CAN! So, scam, spam or whatever it might be is difficult to ascertain. And that is why I asked how it came through. I know at this point you are more concerned with the content. But, and not telling you what to do :), I would run your virus scan and/or any other programs you may have; Spybot, etc. just to protect your website. And I mean, without going into great detail, I have received notices or emails that LOOKED legit but I also knew for a FACT that these REAL websites DO NOT send emails. But I am also speaking of my own personal email account and not my own website. Just a thought anyway.

But if legit, I think you did the right thing by responding in a SUPPORT mode. But I wouldn't say too much more I don't think...until you see how it plays out after you have investigated it.

[dag_FL]

http://www.zabasearch.com/query1_zaba.php?sname=Rory%20wynhoff&state=ID&ref=%24ref&se=%24se&doby=&city=&name_style=1

the people he said to call are real ...looks like, the phone numbers right, did you call them to check it out? just wondering, you've answered a few things for me before, which thank you by the way, so I just thought I'd see what I could find for you. Steve

ps. zaba is a great search for free

[Pharmacist.steve]

I just got off the phone with the clerk of the court and the person who is part of the court's drug addiction intervention team.

From what I was told .. the short of it is that Mr Ellenberg has chronic pain problems, mental health problems and addiction problems.

Mr Ellenberg reportedly is not cooperating with the court and he and the judge has "locked horns"

From what was described to me it sounds like a ADD/ADHD kid and a parent.. neither one wants to budge and may have lost sight of what the original issue was.

I made some suggestions to the addiction intervention team member on how they may be able to get things back on track .. and they seems to be well received.

We will see how this plays out...

[Dynan]

Steve

Thanx for the update!!!

Dynan

[Mark N]

Steve, thanks for the follow up and letting us know the story. Once again thanks for the update.

[debhun]

Thanks Steve for the update. I hope he will let down his guard and let someone help him.

Deb

[simby]

thanks for the update, Steve.

And thank you for caring and being active in these type of things.
You rock.

hugs,
sims

[Pharmacist.steve]

I got this reply today apparently this judge believes that he has the power over freedom of speech as well as practicing medicine without a license. It will be interesting who the Judicial Complaint board sides with.

Hello Steven,
I appreciate your willingness to help, but the issue is so very tense.
It has escalated the past two weeks with the judge commanding Bill not
to contact anyone else or he was going to put him directly in prison. We
have submitted a Judicial Complaint here in Idaho and are waiting on
that - it looks promising. Until we hear from the Judicial Counsil it
would be wise not to contact the Judge's team as he would see this as
provocation from Bill. I will let you know how this goes.

Thanks for your care,
Rory

[Gimpy]

Looks like a power trip to me!

[BrokenBladder]

Thanks for keeping us informed!! I'm interested in how this whole thing plays out.

[houghchrst]

Thanks Steve for keeping us informed. It is a shame that someone like that has the power to help someone and chooses to use it to hurt instead.

Just another day in the life.

[Kathi49]

Thanks for the update too Steve. But I have to say...I view this differently. It will be interesting to see how it pans out.

[Peter B]

Hello all,
This whole episode gave me pause. I wonder how many people are in the same boat as this poor wretch. How miserable it must be to be an addict who also has legitimate needs. His life must be in a constant state of mental and physical war. I imagine his addiction has forced him to take ALL of his monthly meds way too soon leaving him in withdrawls AND pain.
I truly feel very sorry for this poor fella.

Pain free days,
Pete

[Gimpy]

Steve:

This is very interesting, no doubt. But, maybe you should delete this guy's personal information, it won't alter the purpose of the thread. I know he was looking for help, but I wouldn't want my real address and telephone numbers published on the web. I know I'm paranoid about this stuff. As I was re-reading this thread, it occured to me that it could turn problematic for him. Especially if he gets his pain medications and everybody on the internet can see where he lives.

Just a thought. I get one of these every now and then. ;)

Gimpy

[Pharmacist.steve]

This story gets more interesting as times passes. Apparently Bill is not the only chronic pain person that this judge has forced to abstain from all pain meds - even OTC's. It has been reported that one person was forced to under go a ROOT CANAL procedure without any post surgery pain meds. Bill is 44 y/o and on Medicare disability with a ~ $400/month income... His family friends have been allowing him to stay in their house... It has been reported that the judge has declared that he has 30 days to get out of their house and live on his own.. they are " ... a bad influence..." on him. Bill has just changed attorney... his previous attorney has been described as "spineless" when it comes to being in front of this judge.
Grangeville , ID ... is the county seat of Idaho, population ~ 3500 and the largest county in the whole county - the county is the size of state of New Jersey... BUT has a population of ~ 15,000.

Apparently the local bureaucrats are in the middle of a corruption scandal and certain public records are mis-filed or just plain MISSING...

Apparently the judge has threatened anyone who prescribes or provides any pain meds to any of these 3-4 people.

The judge has also threatened to throw Bill in jail if any more people contact his office.. nothing like a POWER TRIP out in the WILD WEST!!!

Even though Bill is on Medicaid and has been diagnosed with Bi-Polar, Schitzo and PTSD... he has yet to see a shrink... he is being provided medication by his PCP for these disorders.

Maybe in Idaho... a large majority this population is Mensa members and knowing everything about everything.. Judge practicing pain management and PCP treating complex mental health issues.

[Gimpy]

I don't know why they haven't gotten the ACLU involved in this. Then the judge couldn't hide in plain view anymore.

G

[Kathi49]

Thanks for the update Steve. And correct me if I am wrong. But if Bill was ordered to have no contact yet continues to "contact" others. then he is in direct violation of the court's (judge's) order(s) even IF the judge is on a power trip. Just my own opinion though...I tend to think there is a whole lot more to this than what meets the eye.

[Pharmacist.steve]

The judge's order was they were not to do anything that would cause the JUDGE'S OFFICE to be contacted.. I contacted them... as a followup...

They have done NOTHING to cause the judge's office to be contacted in the future... To the best of my knowledge .. that order does NOT apply to me.. since I am 2000 miles away from Idaho county... he has little jurisdiction over me. I am not interested in ordinary people contacting his office... but many in the media should have a good look at what is going on in Idaho county... Maybe they are only interested in human rights violation in China... we will see..

IMO... uncontrolled arrogance can lead to corruption... which can lead to abuse/torture .. which can lead to genocide... we all know that under/untreated pain can - and does - lead to suicide by tens of thousands annually in this country... is this a indirect form of genocide???

you probably need to read my blog www.chronicpainresourcecenter.com/blog
Bill is not the only chronic painer in this county - in front of this judge - that is being treated in the same way.

If you "google" Bill's name .. nothing shows up except where I posted the email on this forum...

From reading the local paper (on the web) the people in power have a different idea of what is right - from the rest of us...

Their US Rep .. voted AGAINST a federal law outlawing DOG FIGHTING
A school teacher sexually abused a student and got PROBATION
The closest TV station is 70 miles away .. others that serve the area are in the state of WASHINGTON..

IMO, this is a very isolated little burg where the bureaucrats have virtually no oversight. So they do as they please.

[BrokenBladder]

Someone has to step in and STOP this!! The judge is clearly using his power in a cruel way.

I didn't realize that there was any county that is not included in the rights of all Americans. This is sad to say the least.

[Kathi49]

I understand what you are saying Steve and I will read the blog. I was under the impression (based on Rory's email) that he wasn't to have contact with anyone. I didn't see where it specifically spelled out contact with the Judge's Office. And just so you know...I wasn't faulting you at all. I was just wondering why Bill would contact someone if he was told to stay silent as implied in Rory's email....provocation is what I mean. In any case, the judge may be running rampant with his rulings but what goes on his court pretty much stays in his court unless determined otherwise as Rory also implied. No one ever said the Justice System was fair. We all know that it is not in many cases and it is sad. I don't know...if this is as bad as you are stating, then maybe the media should get involved. Then again, I don't know if that would do much good either. And you are right...if this is just an isolated burg where anything or anyone is fair game, then something probably should be done....I just don't know what. And, well, setting aside Bill's mental illness, there still seems to be more going on than meets the eye and I am basing that on picking up on words like "probation", "assault", etc. So, if he and the judge locked horns, maybe there was good reason for the Judge to do what he did. I apologize if I am misunderstanding but it seems to me BOTH may have some issues. But I will leave it to you to follow the story. I do think it will be interesting to see how it all pans out.