Sonora doctor, office manager arrested on felony drug charges

After a seven-month investigation, a Sonora doctor and her office manager were arrested Tuesday on felony drug charges.

Dr. Lori Beth Sostock, 46, and office manager Vanessa Lynn Sostock, 43, both of Sonora, were arrested at the doctor’s office, in the 800 block of Delnero Drive. The arrests were made by agents from the Tuolumne Narcotics Team assisted by Tuolumne County sheriff’s deputies and federal Drug Enforcement Administration investigators.

The women face a combined 56 felony counts, including conspiracy to commit sales or furnishing of controlled substances, illegal prescribing of controlled substances, and practicing medicine and/or prescribing controlled substances without a license.

During the investigation, search warrants were served at Lori Beth Sostock’s medical practice and her residence in the 600 block of Daybreak Court.

According to a news release from the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation has paralleled another probe of Sostock’s medical practice by the California Department of Consumer Affairs, the State Medical Board and federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

The women were booked into the Tuolumne County jail. The doctor’s bail was set at $200,000, and Vanessa Sostock’s bail was set at $100,000. As of early Wednesday afternoon, both suspects remained in custody at the jail.

This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Sonora doctor, office manager arrested on felony drug charges."