Dr. Justin Robinson, shown in a mug shot from the Bexar County Sheriff's Office .

SAN ANTONIO, TX—MARCH 20, 2020A Bexar County grand jury has handed down a felony indictment against Dr. Justin Robinson, the veterinarian who in 2017 was named in connection with a series of Class 1 positives in Quarter Horse racing. Robinson was hit with eight charges related to illegal influence of a race outcome and administering a prohibited substance to horses between May 22, 2017 and June 17, 2017.

Robinson turned himself in earlier this week and is now out on bond. The trial date is set for April 30 in Bexar County District Court, where it is being prosecuted by the Special Crimes Division.

Robinson was the veterinarian for then-reigning champion AQHA trainer Judd Kearl, as well as trainers Brian Stroud and Jose Sanchez, who in 2017 all got positives for Class 1 drug nomifensine, an antidepressant which hasn't been on the market legally since the 1980s. Learn more about the production of nomifensine and other human designer drugs used in racing in this 2017 feature from our archives.

Kearl received a 19-year suspension, Sanchez a four-year suspension and Stroud a one-year suspension.

As of March 20, Robinson still had an active veterinary license in Texas, despite a previous complaint that he had been illegally compounding medication and left controlled substances unattended at the racetrack.

For those violations, which were the result of a Texas Veterinary Board investigation in June 2017, Robinson was formally reprimanded and fined $1,000.

Courtesy PaulickReport.com