ADAM WILSON
UPDATE: WATER OZ - Hinkson faces 43 federal charges;
Thu Nov 28 15:00:39 2002
208.152.73.63

Hinkson faces 43 federal charges; Grangeville businessman is in trouble with Food and Drug Administration, IRS

ADAM WILSON

A well-known Grangeville businessman has been arrested and charged with 43 violations of federal tax and drug laws.

David Hinkson, of the WaterOz bottled water company, said federal agents stormed his house at 5:30 Thursday morning.

"They kicked 10 doors in, and I woke up with six or seven machine guns in my face as I was laying in my bed in my underwear," Hinkson said.

Hinkson said he was handcuffed while agents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Internal Revenue Service searched his home, located 13 miles outside of Grangeville.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Cook said Hinkson was arrested based on an indictment returned by a federal grand jury.

The indictment was returned July 18, she said.

Hinkson said there was no evidence to support the accusations and noted that, despite the number of charges, he was released on his own recognizance the same day he was arrested.

Hinkson said he was convinced Cook had orchestrated the raid in retaliation for a $50 million lawsuit he filed against her, her office and the IRS in April.

"Isn't it amazing that the defendant managed to have me kidnapped?" he said.

"This is a heck of a way to offer me a settlement offer."

Hinkson alleged Cook and the IRS have been stalking him maliciously and convened several unsuccessful grand juries using improperly obtained information.

"It is known for the record that she is attempting to formulate new charges in a different direction with the Food and Drug Administration and other (John) Does actors," reads Hinkson's complaint, filed April 16.

He believes he is winning that suit, and that is why he was arrested.

"I don't know how to comment on that," said Cook from her office in Coeur d'Alene, where the grand jury that indicted Hinkson was convened.

Hinkson has made headlines frequently since moving to Idaho County six years ago and has been involved in more than one court battle.

He was ordered to pay $95,000 to a former employee of WaterOz in 2000 after she sued him, and is still involved in a second suit in which he accused the same employee of selling trade secrets to another company.

The same year, Hinkson started work on a $2 million, 15,000-seat sports arena near Grangeville, although the project has not advanced greatly since.

He has sparred repeatedly with Grangeville attorney Dennis Albers, and opposed Albers' bid to become Idaho County prosecuting attorney that year.

Hinkson named Albers in his suit against Cook and the IRS, accusing him of unlawfully conspiring with the IRS.

The WaterOz company, with which Hinkson has been associated since he came to the area, produces water mixed with specific minerals and marketed for medicinal purposes.

Although the company's Web site identifies Hinkson as its founder, he distances himself from controlling the company.

"I'm legally the janitor here," he said.

Several of the charges filed Thursday appear to relate to the contents of the WaterOz product, including four counts of misbranded drug, four counts of adulterated drug, and one count each of misbranded device and adulterated device.

U.S. District Court records indicate he is also charged with three counts of willfully failing to file tax returns, 13 counts of willful failure to collect federal taxes, 16 counts of structuring transactions and one count of forfeiture.

"It's all a bunch of hooey," said Hinkson. He said he planned to file new lawsuits against the Idaho State Police and the Idaho County Sheriff's Department for assisting in Thursday's raid, as well as increase the amount he is asking for in his pending lawsuit.

"I will sue the Highway Patrol and I will sue the county, and the IRS and the Food and Drug Administration and Dennis Albers, again."

Hinkson says the search warrant served on his home Thursday was improper and did not allow agents to seize all they did. He said two safes, books, tapes and computers were taken by the agents.

Police officers blocked off roads leading to his house, and Hinkson estimated some 50 law enforcement personnel were involved in the action.

He said the criminal charges will only help his suit against the government.

"They want a fight, I'll give them a fight."

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Wilson may be contacted at awilson@lmtribune.com
Lewiston Morning Tribune
P.O. Box 957
Lewiston, ID 83501
Phone: (208) 743-9411
Fax: (208) 746-7341
http://www.lmtribune.com/
===================================================
The key to health and well being is found in
maintaining a proper nutritional foundation.

David Hinkson
WATER OZ
Route 1, Box 104-B Grangeville, Idaho 83530
(800) 547-2294 Fax (800) 574-1897


Natural healing laws and methods have existed since the beginning of recorded history and probably before. A rapidly growing segment of the population, some 66 percent, has turned to the drugless healing arts and practices and thus spurred renewed interest in nutritional principles, exercise, breathing, iridology, homeopathy, fasting, reflex therapy, polarity work, glandular balancing, herbology, acupuncture, and many other aspects of the holistic approach to health.

Good health entails a high level of physical, mental, and spiritual well being. The key to health and well being is found in maintaining a proper nutritional foundation, as excess or deficiency in any of the primary chemical elements needed in human nutrition could account for most diseases and pathogenetic mental symptoms. Human body tissue can neither be restored nor rejuvenated without proper nutritional support; eating correctly should, therefore, be our number one priority, but the reality of our highly processed fast food society is that today it is very difficult to follow a healthy diet and even more difficult for our body to digest,


absorb, and metabolize the foods we eat into useable elements necessary for proper body function. The problem is compounded by the fact that many fruits and vegetables are picked green before they absorb the proper life giving nutrients (for easier transportation to markets) and that our soil is largely depleted of the essential elements. Nutrient depleted soil = Nutrient depleted food.

Our bodies are not designed to ingest and assimilate foods that have been irradiated, devitalized, are deficient in vitamins, enzymes, fiber, nutrients, and loaded with additives designed to give them eternal shelf life. Such “food” leads to sickness and disease. Since every disease takes time to develop, eliminating disease takes time too. Hering’s Law of Cure states; “when we use the drugless healing arts, all illness is reversed and we go through a remission period in which we pick up again our old troubles. Thus gradually, we reverse from the chronic stage of disease toward good health by entering a healing crisis when an acute stage has been reached, often the discharge stage.” In the same way our bodies are not designed to ingest and assimilate inferior foods, our bodies do not thrive on pharmaceutical drugs created in a laboratory. Drugs are not structured or evolved for compatibility with the human organism. More often than not, drugs cause side effects that range from uncomfortable to severe to lethal.

In recognition of the fact that we are not getting the mineral nutrition our bodies need from the food we eat, and thus the corresponding need for mineral supplementation, Water Oz was born. Our bodies are made of the same basic chemical elements (minerals) of which the earth is made. Minerals are essential for life and health. Specific minerals facilitate specific functions in the organs and tissues where they are dominantly stored. Each mineral is a conductor or transmitter operating on a specific vibratory frequency. Rarely does any element function alone. Each element achieves its power through bio-chemical combination and relationship with other elements, in other words, our products all work synergistically with our other products and the natural minerals we get from pure food sources.

Remember, as with everything in life, balance is important. Either inadequate or excessive production or supply of the essential nutrients required for proper body function can result in physiological imbalance leading to a wide variety of disease states. The importance of nutritional supplements is widely recognized in the scientific community and among nutritionally oriented physicians, but it is important to remember, nutritional supplementation should be considered part of a long-term health program, not a quick fix. After taking Water Oz products, some people may feel a difference within 48 hours, for others there is a more subtle change that takes longer to recognize. Ultimately, most people feel increased energy, an improved sense of well being, and get sick less often.
We need to return to a simpler, more natural way of life. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, herbs. When available, choose organically-raised beef and chicken, and fresh fish. Finally, get fresh air and sunshine, exercise and adequate rest.