Alan B. Kaiser II, a formerly prominent Covington doctor who pleaded guilty in 2004 to manufacturing methamphetamines in a storage shed off of Access Road and then withdrew his guilty plea, was re-sentenced on Wednesday in Newton County Superior Court.

Judge Eugene Benton sentenced Kaiser to 35 years, six years to be served in confinement with the rest on probation, and more than $50,000 in fines and fees, according to Alcovy Circuit District Attorney Ken Wynne.

He was also forbidden to practice medicine in Georgia or the contiguous states during the length of his sentence and was banished from Newton, Walton and Rockdale Counties, except to report to the probation office.

Kaiser originally pleaded guilty in 2004 to charges of manufacturing methamphetamines, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of schedule III and IV drugs, and 60 counts of dispensing drugs without a medical reason.

He had been sentenced to 30 years, with the first 10 in confinement, and required to never practice medicine again in Georgia or the contiguous states.

Kaiser appealed the sentence, particularly the part that banned him for life from practicing medicine, and the court of appeals upheld his case, saying a condition could not be imposed after the completion of a sentence. Kaiser was allowed to withdraw his original guilty plea and enter a new plea.

The new sentence differs slightly from the original sentence by adding five years, banishing him from Newton, Rockdale and Walton Counties, and by imposing the ban of medical practice only on the length of the sentence instead of for life.

Realistically, the two sentences differ very little, said Wynne. He pointed out that Kaiser, who is in his mid-40s, would be a very old man by the time he would be able to practice medicine when his sentenced years expire.

Kaiser, who has been confined since January of 2003, was credited for the time he's already served and is likely to be released in January 2009.

Normally, defendants who plead guilty serve about a third of their time, said Wynne.

"By the time he's released, he's served as much as if not more than other defendants with similar charges," said Wynne. "That's why I agreed to a lesser sentence.

"We're just glad Mr. Kaiser won't be practicing medicine in the state of Georgia anymore."

Kaiser, a former ear, nose and throat doctor who served as the chief of surgery at Newton Medical Center, was the subject of a four month investigation by the now-disbanded East Metro Drug Enforcement Team from 2002 to 2003 when a confidential informant tipped authorities that the doctor was writing false prescriptions in exchanged for ephedrine, a main component of methamphetamine.

Another source led investigators to a storage locker at the Ready Rent All on Access Road in Covington where they found what appeared to be a methamphetamine production laboratory.

At the time of his arrest, Kaiser had $21,000 stashed in an offshore bank account and a business account of more than $70,000.