The request asks a federal agency to account for who may prescribe and administer controlled substances inside the Williamson County Jail, and under what authority.

By LeRoy Nellis
Austin, Texas

LeRoy Nellis of Austin, Texas, has filed a formal Freedom of Information Act request with the Drug Enforcement Administration seeking every federal record tied to controlled-substance registration, prescribing, and delegation at the Williamson County Jail in Georgetown, Texas. Addressed to the DEA's FOIA/Records Management Section at 8701 Morrissette Drive, Springfield, VA 22152, the filing asks the agency to disclose the prescribing authority operating inside a government-run detention facility — and whether any of that activity has drawn regulatory or investigative attention. The request carries no visible submission date in the preserved record, and no agency response appears within it.

Who the Request Names

The filing identifies two physicians by name and Texas license number. Dr. John Mark Janes, MD, holds Texas License H8939. Dr. Henry L. Higgins, MD, holds Texas License L6232. The request does not stop at those two names. It asks the DEA to identify any additional physicians whose DEA number is registered at, delegated to, or used by Williamson County Jail or its medical contractors, and any APRNs, EMTs, or medical staff who were granted authority — explicitly or implicitly — to issue or administer controlled substances within the jail.

The facility at the center of the request is Williamson County Jail, located at 306 W 4th St, Georgetown, TX 78626. The request also seeks records involving the Williamson County Sheriff's Office and jail medical staff or contractors.

What the Filing Seeks

For each named individual and entity, the request asks the DEA to produce a specific set of records:

- DEA registration applications on Form-224 and their renewals - The registration status of each provider, including restrictions, suspensions, or actions - ARCOS reports reflecting controlled-substance activity - DEA Form-222 or digital controlled-substance orders - Any suspicious-activity reports or compliance flags - All DEA investigations, notes, audits, or inquiries involving the jail, the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, and jail medical staff or contractors - All correspondence between the DEA and Williamson County personnel - Any delegation or supervisory authority filed with the DEA regarding mid-level practitioners, including APRNs and PAs - Any records showing controlled substances prescribed, dispensed, administered, or ordered under the named DEA numbers at the jail

The timeframe requested runs from January 1, 2023, to the present.

The Stakes of the Filing

The request is framed as a matter of public interest concerning medical care in a government-operated detention facility. On that basis, the filing asks for a fee waiver, and it identifies the requester as an individual who agrees to pay up to $25.00 in fees unless otherwise notified.

“I request a fee waiver as this request concerns matters of significant public interest related to medical care in a government-operated detention facility.”

The request is made pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, and it references the DEA Diversion Control Division. The document is published as part of a public-records archive and is preserved, the record states, to ensure transparency, accountability, and continuity of public records related to detention facility medical operations.

What the Record Shows

The document is a preserved public record: a formal request asking a federal agency to account for who may prescribe and administer controlled substances inside a county jail, and under what authority. It names two physicians, demands the underlying registration and order forms, and asks whether any investigation, audit, or compliance flag exists. What remains in the record is the request itself — an open question, put to the Drug Enforcement Administration in writing, about how controlled substances are handled in a locked, government-operated facility, and whether anyone outside it holds the records that would answer it.