VERMONT MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—042.0005278 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—none listed as of 12/29/2018
Couple sue doctor for being father of their child
BURLINGTON, VERMONT (WCAX/CNN) – A Florida couple is suing Vermont gynecologist doctor John Coates over an artificial insemination procedure going back decades.
The couple is accusing the doctor of using his own semen for the procedure.
“This could not have been done accidentally,” said lawyer Jerry O’Neill.
O’Neill is the lawyer representing Cheryl and Peter Rousseau who claim that in 1977, Coates used his own genetic material instead of the agreed upon donor.
The Rousseaus found out just recently when their 41-year-old daughter wanted to find her genetic background to learn more about her genetic health and history.
She used websites like Ancestry.com and 23 and Me which reportedly pointed to Coates.
“It was completely news to them they had no expectation that this would turn up when their daughter did the research with respect to it,” said O’Neill.
O’Neill said that Coates maintained a professional relationship but made a point to be close during the pregnancy.
“He made sure that he did the delivery of the child himself as opposed to someone else in his practice… he made certain he was there,” said O’Neill.
The lawsuit is seeking damages from Coates and Central Vermont Hospital where he worked at the time.
“It’s fraud and it’s a question of inserting genetic material in a woman, not of an anonymous donor but rather the physician who is engaging in the conduct it self,” said O’Neill. “Unless Dr. Coates were to have contacted her and told her that he was in fact her genetic father, she would have never known.”
Coates, who still lives in Vermont, has not responded to the allegations in the lawsuit.
“Around the country if you look at it there have been physicians who have found to put their own sperm in and created children as a consequence, it’s been done a serial way there are multiple children for whom this has been done,” said O’Neill.
The couple claims they signed a contract with Coates for him to use donated semen from an unnamed medical student who resembled her husband.
MISSOURI MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—103671 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—none listed as of 12/27/2018
Ladue oncologist’s kids interrupted his attempt to strangle their mother, charges say
CLAYTON • An oncologist from Ladue tried to strangle the mother of his four children at his home and threatened to shove a butcher knife down her throat, charges say.
Michael J. Naughton, of Ladue, was charged with felony counts of domestic assault after he allegedly tried to strangle his wife, stopping when their children interrupted him.
Dr. Michael Naughton, 51, of the first block of Paxton Lane in Ladue, was charged this month with two felony counts of domestic assault and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.
Naughton on Dec. 13 flipped over the woman’s chair, cutting her hand on a glass, and then tried to strangle her, charges say.
“He stopped only when the children came down the stairs and startled him,” Ladue Officer Timothy Carter wrote in court documents.
Naughton then forced the woman into the kitchen, pointed a butcher knife at her and threatened to shove it down her throat, charges said. Court records do not identify the woman but say she and Naughton had been in an ongoing romantic relationship and had four children together.
Naughton was released from the St. Louis County jail after posting a $50,000 cash bail Dec. 20. A St. Louis County judge ordered he wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet.
His lawyer, Greg Smith, said the woman is Naughton’s wife and that “Dr. Naughton is cooperating in every way possible with the investigation. It’s unfortunate that this family-related matter has made its way into the courts. Dr. Naughton is dedicated to his family.” (LINK)—12/27/2018
KENTUCKY MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—50470 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—none listed as of 12/23/2018
Note: Seawell had 4 listings with the courts in Florida. One from 8/08/2016 of the cases involved hitting another car causing damage, and the other from 1/10/2018, he was found guilty of driving on a suspended or revoked license. (Document)
Prestonsburg Physician Arrested In Clark Co. DUI
CLARK COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18/EKB)- A Floyd County cardiologist has been arrested in Winchester following an injury collision.
According to Winchester Police, Michael Seawell was taken into custody following a crash on I-64. Seawell’s arrest citation states that he was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and a strong alcoholic odor coming from his person.
Seawell submitted to a field sobriety test but refused a blood test.
Seawell is listed as working at Highlands Health Center and the address on his arrest citation matched one on file for the Doctor. LEX 18 reached out to Highlands but they have not returned our reporter’s calls. (LINK)—12/21/2018
MINNESOTA MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—39400 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—see medical board actions at the bottom of this blog post
ER doctor removed from patient care after altercation with neighbor
The 53 year old yelled threats and obscenities at his neighbor.
An ER doctor has been arrested, charged and removed from patient care after an altercation with his neighbor in Kandiyohi County.
Sean O’Grady, 53, who is an emergency room doctor at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar, has been charged with 5th-degree assault, obstructing the legal process, and disorderly conduct over a Nov. 30 incident on Eagle Lake, northeast of Willmar.
The hospital operator, Carris Health, told BMTN that O’Grady has been removed from any role that involves patient care or interaction with patients until the legal action being taken against him has been resolved.
According to a criminal complaint, police were called to the neighbor’s house just after noon on Nov. 30 because O’Grady was allegedly screaming at him over “small issues,” such as the neighbor’s dog getting onto O’Grady’s property.
When officers arrived, O"Grady ran up to them and continued screaming, saying his “ignorant, redneck neighbor” had been making comments about his adopted daughter.
Police noted that O’Grady was drinking wine, and was wearing a sweatshirt, shorts and no shoes. The 53 year old told officers that water from his neighbor’s sump pump had been running onto his property, at which point he ran out of the front door – barefoot in the snow – to show them where this was happening.
After he was warned he could be arrested, a woman at O’Grady’s house told police he was having a bad day and she would calm him down.
The officers left, but they weren’t gone for long. They were called back to the house a couple of hours later by the neighbor, who said O’Grady was now on the lake ice outside his house, wearing shorts, shoveling snow and yelling threats towards his house.
The neighbor took video, showing O’Grady shouting that the lake was public property and that if his neighbor wanted to do anything about it, “he’d come out and talk to him one-on-one.”
O’Grady referred to the neighbor on several occasions using a homophobic slur, and then made threats that the neighbor “was a pedophile” and that he would be assaulted if he came outside. He also started running towards his neighbor but stopped before the property line.
Police determined they’d be arresting O’Grady and went over to his house, but had trouble taking him into custody.
O’Grady initially said if the officers came inside he was going to “get his pound of flesh” (a Shakespearian reference).
He tried to barricade the door as police attempted to push their way in, and at one point suggested he’d go and get his gun.
As the officers entered, O’Grady threw toys at them before he was tasered and taken to the ground, but continued to swear and kick as they handcuffed him.
In its statement, Carris Health said: “Carris Health has guidelines and expectations regarding employee conduct, which applies to all staff including caregivers. When those expectations aren’t met – such as situations where an employee is involved in a legal matter – we take steps to immediately address the issue.
"Our standard protocol includes removing an employee from any role that involves patient care or interaction with patients. While I can’t discuss confidential employee-related matters specifically, I can assure you that these protocols are being followed regarding this situation.” (LINK)—12/10/2018
Tracy Lystra at her home in Aguanga, Calif. In 2013, Lystra sued her Fallbrook, Calif., OB-GYN, Anthony S. Bianchi, alleging that he had sexually harassed her — which Bianchi denied. Lystra said the lawsuit was settled for $150,000 but that her attorney’s subsequent complaint about the doctor to the Medical Board of California was rejected based on a review of the evidence and “mitigating circumstances.” In the meantime, Bianchi received two probation terms for alleged sexual misconduct with three other women. (Heidi de Marco/California Healthline)
The doctor instructed his patient to stand in front of him. He cupped her crotch and inserted his fingers into her vagina through her clothes, moving his hand repeatedly to her rectal area. Then he squeezed her breasts, according to a formal accusation filed by the Medical Board of California.
The patient, accompanied to the appointment by her 4-year-old granddaughter, asked why that was necessary to diagnose a urinary tract infection, according to the documents. He told her to let him do his job.
In three other cases, the board alleged that the family doctor, Ramon Fakhoury of California’s Inland Empire, touched patients’ genitals for no medical reason. In 2016, the board handed him 35 months of administrative probation, requiring him, among other things, to have a chaperone when treating females.
Fakhoury did not admit to the allegations, according to his attorney, and criminal charges against him were dropped.If he successfully completes probation next year, he’ll be able to practice without restriction.
The Medical Board of California put family physician Ramon Fakhoury on 35 months of probation after several patients alleged he had touched their genitals for no medical reason. Until he completes probation, he must have a chaperone present when treating female patients. He did not admit to the allegations. Previously, he faced felony sexual abuse-related charges, which were dismissed after a jury deadlocked.(Courtesy of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department)
With a mission of patient protection and doctor rehabilitation — not punishment — California’s medical board and those in other states make decisions under laws and norms that can seem discordant in the #MeToo era.
California is often cited as one of the more rigorous states in overseeing doctors. But, according to the medical board, very few sexual misconduct complaints are reported to the board in the first place, historically under 200 a year. Even fewer result in a formal accusation against a doctor. And when discipline is found to be warranted — typically in fewer than 20 cases a year — the board tends toward leniency, sometimes granting a few years of probation even in instances of severe misconduct, according to a California Healthline analysis of medical board records.
More than a third of doctors sanctioned by California’s board in cases that alleged sexual misconduct received probation in the past 10 years — some more than once. The terms of probation often required temporary chaperones, as well as psychotherapy and courses in “professional boundaries” and ethics. (Through probation, the medical board can only place conditions or restrictions on a doctor’s license in civil proceedings; it does not take criminal court actions.)
“They love giving second chances” to physicians, said Marian Hollingsworth of San Diego, a frequent critic of the California medical board. “It makes you wonder where their priorities are. … Their first loyalty is supposed to be patient safety and that doesn’t always happen.”
The recent, shocking reports about years of abuse by USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar and University of Southern California gynecologist George Tyndall — as well as national exposés about physician misconduct by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Associated Press —have only intensified concerns about whether sexual abuse is taken seriously enough in medicine.
Nassar, accused of abuse by scores of girls and women under the guise of medical treatment, is now serving what amounts to a life sentence. Prosecutors are considering criminal charges against Tyndall in more than 50 cases, and the state medical board has suspended his license while seeking revocation. He has denied the allegations.
Larry Nassar sits in court on Feb. 5, in Charlotte, Mich., before being sentenced for three counts of criminal sexual assault. Nassar, accused of abuse by scores of girls and women under the guise of medical treatment, is now serving what amounts to a life sentence. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
And just last week, 17 women sued Columbia University and its affiliated hospitals, alleging that the facilities engaged in covering up decades of sexual abuse by one of its OB-GYNs.
Research has shown that many doctors who sexually exploit patients, like other perpetrators of abuse, don’t stop with one victim. They “perpetrate such behavior for years before being stopped,” said the authors of one study.
Against this backdrop, California Gov. Jerry Brown in September signed landmark patient protection legislation requiring doctors who are on probation for sexual and other serious misconduct to notify patients of their status and the terms under which they must practice. It will take effect next July. The bill had failed twice before.
“It’s time,” said the bill’s lead author, Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo). “The #Me Too movement has really made it very clear that there are individuals even in the most respected professions who abuse their authority.”
Even as sexual abuse complaints filed with the medical board rose significantly in the past year to coincide with the rise of #MeToo, board officials say they plan no major changes in how the board dispenses discipline in sexual misconduct cases.
The #MeToo movement “has not changed us,” said the board’s executive director, Kimberly Kirchmeyer. Cracking down on sexual misconduct has always been “one of the board’s top priorities,” she said.
Digging Into The Records
California Healthline examined all 135 cases of alleged sexual abuse investigated by the board that resulted in sanctions from July 2008 through June 2018. (The analysis did not include discipline based on proceedings in other states.)
More than a third of sanctions were for sexual misconduct with more than one victim, and the vast majority of alleged perpetrators were men accused of exploiting women.
Doctors’ licenses were revoked in 39 cases and voluntarily surrendered in 38. Several doctors received public reprimands — a minor sanction.
The largest share of sanctions — 49 cases, or more than a third — were for probation.
According to the board’s disciplinary guidelines, the minimum probation period is seven years for a doctor found to have engaged in sexual misconduct — whether it is a sexual relationship with a patient, sexualized touching during exams or inappropriate sexual conversation.
But those “minimums” were not applied in more than half of the probation cases, according to the California Healthline analysis. The guidelines allow exceptions based on “mitigating circumstances,” the age of cases, the quality of evidence and other factors.
Kirchmeyer noted that the board treats every case as unique and places a high value on a doctor’s remorse and acknowledgment of wrongdoing.
In eight cases, California Healthline found, a doctor sanctioned for sexual misconduct had previously been sanctioned for similar misconduct.
Dr. Patrick Mark Sutton, a Pasadena obstetrician-gynecologist, received probation twice — the first time for four years after investigators alleged sexual misconduct in 2002. In 2011, he was placed on probation again — this time for three years — following allegations that he improperly rubbed a patient’s thigh and engaged in inappropriate sexual conversation.
He denied all sexual misconduct allegations in 2002 and 2011, admitting only to medical record-keeping violations in both cases.
This September, after he had completed mandated ethics and “boundaries” courses, the medical board filed a new accusation against Sutton, saying that he had called a patient “hairy” and asked the patient, who was naked from the waist down under a drape and in stirrups exposing her genitals: “Do you enjoy orgasms? You are a very beautiful woman.” That case is pending.
Sutton’s lawyer, Gary Wittenberg, said in an emailed statement that “the allegations in the pending Accusation are untrue and we will prove that in court.”
In several cases, the board granted probation knowing the doctor had been convicted of misdemeanor criminal charges stemming from sexual abuse investigations.
Fakhoury, the Inland Empire doctor, had faced felony sexual abuse-related charges but was not convicted due to a hung jury, according to San Bernardino County Superior Court records.
His lawyer, Courtney Pilchman, told California Healthline that the criminal charges were dismissed afterward, and that the doctor “did not stipulate” to — or admit to — the medical board accusation.
By contrast, Ohio’s medical board, upon learning of California’s sanction, in 2012 revoked his state license.
The number of disciplinary actions taken over the decade is strikingly small given the size of California’s practicing physician population of more than 100,000. Alleged victims of sexual abuse by physicians are significantly less likely to come forward than sexual abuse victims in general, some research indicates.
However, numbers provided by the medical board suggest that many of the complaints that are filed — whether by victims themselves or other sources — do not result in formal accusations against doctors. From October 2013 through June 2018, 838 complaints were designated by the board as possible sexual misconduct. During that same period, 74 accusations were filed. (Multiple complaints could be filed about one doctor.)
Experts and lawyers familiar with the board offered various explanations: Some complaints may be false. Doctor sexual misconduct can be hard to prove by “clear and convincing evidence,” as required in medical board cases. Accused physicians often hire experienced lawyers who aggressively fight back, leading to delays and deals. Victims may decline to testify or present poorly as witnesses.
Some victims, for instance, have psychiatric disorders or believe that they were engaging in a “consensual” relationship, according to medical board documents.
Board staff have worked hard to treat alleged victims sensitively, Kirchmeyer said. Expert reviewers are instructed to read complaints as if the person is telling the truth, she said, and the board plans weeklong training sessions to help investigators work better with alleged victims and prepare them for testifying.
The cases often drag on. It can take years for victims to come forward in the first place — and more time for cases to wind their way through the state’s complex bureaucracy. Evidence can go stale.
“Physicians have to have due process,” Kirchmeyer said. “Anyone can make a complaint about anyone at any time.”
Tracy Lystra at her home in Aguanga, Calif.(Heidi de Marco/California Healthline)
‘Slap In My Face’
Facing what they see as an uphill battle, lawyers from the state Department of Justice, who handle administrative hearings, will sometimes pre-emptively recommend probation — even in serious sexual misconduct accusations — to avoid the possibility a doctor will get no sanction at all from a judge, said Laura Sweet, a former deputy director who retired in 2015.
Sweet, who worked for the medical board for 23 years, said the legal process focuses on the doctors and does not always give sufficient weight to the pain of alleged victims. “You’re sending a message that’s potentially minimizing what the victim endured.”
That’s how Tracy Lystra sees it, too. In 2013, Lystra sued her Fallbrook, Calif., OB-GYN, Anthony S. Bianchi, alleging that he harassed her with comments about her body and how she aroused him, whispering into her ear as she lay on a gurney before surgery that she looked like a “sexy librarian.” She said the case, which also alleged medical negligence, was settled for $150,000 in 2016. Bianchi, who could not be reached for comment, denied the allegations in court documents.
Through her attorney, Lystra filed a complaint to the medical board shortly after settling with Bianchi. This past July, she received a letter from the board saying it would not be able “establish grounds for discipline” against Bianchi in her case, “considering all the evidence and mitigating factors.”
Ultimately, she learned that the board had received complaints from other women.
In 2014, Bianchi had been put on five years’ probation after the board accused him of making inappropriate sexual remarks to two patients, telling one he dreamed of having oral sex with her and couldn’t stop staring at her breasts. After learning of these cases, another woman came forward, alleging Bianchi several years earlier had blocked his office door with a chair, inserted his fingers into her vagina, exposed his penis and asked her for sex.
The board’s penalty was another five years’ probation. But the two probation terms overlap — and Bianchi, who agreed not to contest the allegations as part of the settlements in each case, could go back to work as an OB-GYN without restrictions in 2021. In the meantime, he is not allowed to treat female patients.
Learning that Bianchi received such a light punishment — and that the board would not take action on her own complaint — was crushing, Lystra said, noting that it had been so difficult to get anyone, including her family, to believe her.
“I really wanted him stopped. It was so disappointing when medical board responded the way it did,” Lystra said.“It was a slap in my face.”
Methodology
In its analysis, California Healthline requested every sanction for sexual misconduct issued by the Medical Board of California over the past 10 years, the name of each doctor involved and his or her license number. The board responded with 181 actions against 175 doctors from fiscal year 2008-09, beginning in July, through fiscal year 2017-2018, ending in June. (The records were designated by the board as primarily for sexual misconduct but often included other allegations.)
California Healthline used the board’s document lookup search on its website to review its available public records on each doctor. California Healthline mentioned sanctions outside the 10-year period when records showed the doctors were repeat offenders.
The analysis excluded cases in which the board took action in response to sanctions issued by other states’ medical boards for sexual misconduct outside California.
For each sanction, California Healthline determined the number of alleged victims identified in the board’s accusations, their gender, type of sanction, length and terms of probation, type of alleged sexual misconduct and whether the board took note of any previous or concurrent criminal proceedings.
California Healthline also requested the number of complaints the board received alleging sexual misconduct, and how many formal accusations the board filed each year after the allegations were investigated and merited disciplinary action. The board did not have data for all 10 years, but provided the number of complaints received and the number of accusations filed from October 2013 through the end of the 2017-18 fiscal year.
FLORIDA MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—ME78844 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—none listed as of 12/05/2018
South Florida doctor arrested, accused of drugging woman’s drink
BOCA RATON, Fla. - A South Florida doctor is under arrest, accused of drugging a woman’s drink.
According to Boca Raton police, a customer said she saw Mircea Morariu pour a powder-like substance into a woman’s drink while she was in the bathroom at Ouzo Bay, a restaurant at 201 Plaza Real, on Sept. 10.
When that woman returned, she consumed the drink, according to police.
The customer and managers at Ouzo called police, and put the drink aside, so police would be able to have it for evidence.
“Again, a lot of people would have probably poured that drink out. Our staff is told not to pour that drink out, keep it, so they can test it,” said Eric Smith, managing partner of the Atlas Restaurant Group, who owns Atlas. “We also went upstairs, checked our cameras, saw that there was evidence he had done something of this nature.”
Officers said they made contact with Morariu as he left a bathroom, and he denied pouring anything in the woman’s drink.
Police said they found a clear plastic bag containing a white powder residue in a trash can in the men’s bathroom. They said tests showed the bag contained Zolpidem and Alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax and Ambien.
According to a toxicology report, the combination of alcohol, Alprazolam, and Zolpidem would likely cause one to become sleepy and possibly unconscious.
Police said the woman told them she’s known Morariu for almost 20 years and they met to have drinks. She said that after returning from the bathroom, Morariu pushed her drink toward her and told her he wanted her to finish it, according to police.
The woman was taken to the hospital, where police said she was slightly incoherent.
Morariu is now facing a charge of Poisoning Food/Water with Intent to Kill or Injury.
In court on Tuesday, a judge ordered Morariu not to have any contact with the alleged victim. Morariu will be released to enter an in-patient drug and alcohol treatment program.
Boca Police says that would normally tell people to leave their drinks with friends, if they need to go to the bathroom or something, but now they would recommend just ordering a new drink if you need to leave a drink unattended.
Police say it took months to arrest Morariu because they were waiting on toxicology reports.
He was arrested at The Woods’, the restaurant in Jupiter belonging to Tiger Woods.
Morariu is a neurologist with the Florida Neurological Center in Delray Beach. The office did not comment on his arrest. (LINK)—12/04/2018
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—ME116102 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—None listed as of 11/04/2018
Orlando-area doctor among 103 arrested in Polk County sex sting, sheriff says
Disney employee, U.S. Navy reservist also arrested, authorities say
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - An Orlando-area doctor is among more than 100 people who were arrested during a six-day undercover sex sting in Polk County targeting human trafficking, sheriff’s officials said.
The operation began Nov. 27 and ended Sunday, netting 103 arrests, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said 56 of the arrests were on suspicion of advertising as prostitutes online, 30 were on suspicion of soliciting undercover detectives who posted ads posing as prostitutes, 11 arrests were on suspicion of deriving proceeds from prostitution, and six were on drug charges and other offenses.
Among the suspects was Dr. Sarat Sabharwal, 56, of Winter Park, who works as a urologist at The VA Hospital in Orlando and a trauma surgeon as needed, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Grady Judd said Sabharwal, who is married, agreed over the phone and via text message to pay $100 to engage in a half-hour of sex. Deputies said when he arrived, he was still wearing his scrubs from the hospital. He was arrested and charged with soliciting another for prostitution, deputies said.
Sabharwal wasn’t the only suspect with a spouse, according to the sheriff. Judd said of the 103 arrested, nine of them were married. Three of the suspects, Walter Leiva, Juan Loaisa and Yefri Guevara, are in the United States illegally and have been charged with soliciting a prostitute, according to Judd.
A 27-year-old man was also arrested and charged with human trafficking, sheriff’s office officials said. Deputies said Anthony Camacho drove a 17-year-old girl from Virginia to Polk County for her to have sex. The girl, who deputies said had run away from home and referred to Camacho as “King,” told detectives she had paid Camacho multiple times to drive her to meet up with people, according to a news release. Deputies said they have contacted the group One More Child to arrange for services to be available to her.
Two other potential victims of human trafficking were also taken into custody, according to the Sheriff’s Office. One was charged with soliciting for prostitution and the other was charged with possession of marijuana, deputies said. Authorities said they are also working to have services available to them.
A 26-year-old Kissimmee man, identified as Edwin Lopez, is accused of arranging to meet up with and sexually batter someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl. Instead, he was speaking with an undercover detective. Deputies said he was arrested and charged with using a two-way communication device to commit a felony, traveling to meet a minor after using a computer to lure a child and lewd battery.
Wallace Sheppard, a 43-year-old U.S. Navy reservist in Jacksonville, and Jeffery Tacy, a 22-year-old student working at Disney’s All Stars Movie Resort through the company’s college program, were also arrested and charged with soliciting another for prostitution, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Judd said another man was in Orlando from Atlanta for his brother-in-law’s funeral before he went out looking to have sex with a prostitute.
According to the sheriff, a 76-year-old man was wearing his oxygen tank when he was taken into custody.
Judd said before he was taken to jail, Ralph Myers asked, “Do you think the undercover lady would at least grope me before I go?”
Several others, whose names have not been released, are facing charges after the operation. Those arrested were charged with a total of 44 felonies and 130 misdemeanors, deputies said.
Authorities are still searching for a man they said traveled to have sex with a 14-year-old girl.
Deputies said 49-year-old William Welch drove to Polk County to meet the teen, but when detectives found his vehicle in the area, he had already fled on foot. A warrant has been issued for Welch on several charges, including traveling to meet a minor, using a two-way communication device, using a computer to solicit a child and attempted lewd battery.
Detectives worked closely with One More Child and the Department of Children and Families during the operation, which was the second in a series of similar stings.
Judd said if all his department did was get a few of the suspects behind bars, he would consider the operation a success because it protected and rescued possible victims of human trafficking.
The sheriff said there would be similar operations carried out in the future. (LINK)—12/03/2018
ALABAMA MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—MD.33091 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—None listed as of 12/03/2018
Town doctor charged with harassment
LEXINGTON — Authorities said the doctor at the Lexington Clinic has been arrested for harassing a former female employee following an investigation.
Police Chief Augie Hendershot said Dr. Bardya Naeini, 39, Florence, turned himself into authorities Thursday afternoon.
The harassment charge is a Class C misdemeanor, which is punishable by a fine and 30 days to 3 months in jail, if found guilty.
Hendershot said Naeini is accused of harassing a 50-year-old former employee.
Town Prosecutor Tony Hughes said a complaint was filed, it was investigated, and then a warrant was issued by the town’s municipal magistrate.
“He is accused of touching her, even after he was asked to stop,” Hendershot said.
The chief said according to the victim, the harassment got to the point where Naeini tried to hug her.
“He tried to engage her in some type of hugging situation, but she said she was able to push him back and fight him off,” Hendershot said.
Reports indicate the victim was a medical technician and had worked at the clinic 2 to 3 years. Naeini has been at the clinic, which remains open, about four years, Hendershot said.
The chief said Naeini has denied all the allegations.
“This is not a reflection on our community; it’s unfortunate but situations like this do happen,” Hendershot said.
Naeini is scheduled to appear Jan. 8 in Lexington Municipal Court. (LINK)—12/02/2018
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