Federal and state agents Thursday served a search warrant on a doctor’s office on Linden Avenue in what Attorney General Mike DeWine called an investigation into a suspected “pill mill”.

There were no arrests as agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency, backed by other state and federal agents, descended on the Kirkwood Family Practice at 2838 Linden Ave. DeWine said the doctor’s office had been under investigation for more than one year.

DEA agents were seen removing boxes of what appeared to be records.

Dr. David C. Kirkwood, owner of the family practice, was not at the clinic on Thursday and attempts to reach him at the number listed for his home in Arcanum were unsuccessful. The number had been disconnected.

DeWine said his Health Care Fraud Unit, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General were all involved.

“Prescription drug abuse is a very serious problem in Ohio, and we will aggressively investigate any medical facility that shows signs of suspected drug diversion,” DeWine said. “Too many Ohioans have died from abusing improperly prescribed pills. We don’t want any more families to suffer.”

DeWine has said four Ohioans overdose every day, many on prescription drugs.

In January, Dr. Han Yang, 69, who once had practices in Dayton and Clark County pleaded guilty in Clark County Common Pleas Court to eight felonies for writing prescriptions for a fee.

In addition, Yang pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree felony theft for fraudulently billing Medicaid for services that were not performed. According to the attorney general’s office, Yang wrote prescriptions for powerful pain-killers to undercover officers and confidential informants, using his medical offices to traffic drugs.

Rich Isaacson, DEA public information officer for the Detroit Field Division, said he could only confirm the serving of the search warrant. “It is part of an on-going investigation, and I cannot comment further.”

Gary Martin stood on the front steps of his house next to the two-story medical building, watching the television crews outside Kirkwood’s office.

“He’s been my doctor for the past six years. I bought this house from him. He was a very good doctor for me,” Martin said.

Mike Voyath has been running his B&D Body Shop on the corner of Linden and Rosemont Boulevard, across the street from the medical building, for 18 years.

“I’ve known him (Kirkwood) for years. He’s always been a good guy. I even worked on his car,” Voyath said. Coincidentally, Voyath said he had just switched doctors and had a Monday morning appointment with Kirkwood.