Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What are the long term effects of being convicted of a crime?”
A new report shows that a doctor convicted of sex crimes in Missouri did his medical training in Charlotte. The doctor was convicted of sexually abusing patients who came for pain treatment during 2016 and 2017.
Our Charlotte criminal defense attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC, have witnessed how both of these paths have led to professional disasters and destroyed medical careers in a split second.
Doctor Convicted of Sex Crimes Did Medical Training in Charlotte
A new report by WCNC shows that the doctor mentioned above has ties to the Charlotte area. About a year before going on a sexual abuse spree in Missouri, the doctor did his medical training with OrthoCarolina on Randolph Road from August 2014 to July 2015.
According to a spokesperson for OrthoCarolina, the doctor was not employed there and was always accompanied by a supervising physician. The report also shows that there has been an uptick in sex abuse allegations against physicians in North Carolina since the U.S. Olympic gymnast scandal.
In each of the past three years, the North Carolina Medical Board has taken actions against physicians more than a dozen times (15 in 2018, 13 in 2017, and 18 in 2016).
New North Carolina Law to Permanently Revoke Licenses of Doctors Convicted of Sex Crimes
Lawmakers in North Carolina are rolling out a new law meant to protect patients. The biggest change in the law would result in the permanent revocation of the medical license of doctors who were convicted of felony sex crimes. The new law would also prohibit these doctors from reapplying for the licenses.
However, the new law would not apply to the doctor convicted of sex crimes in Missouri because the North Carolina law does not consider out-of-state cases.
Challenges in Sex Crime Cases Involving Doctors
A physician who has been accused of sexual abuse or misconduct is facing three challenges:
- A criminal investigation by police (in the worst-case scenario, criminal charges)
- License revocation proceedings from the North Carolina Medical Board
- Financial liability from a civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victim
In addition to these challenges, a doctor accused of sex crimes can also face copycat complaints from other patients and reporters snooping around and looking for a flashy headline.
Sexual abuse and misconduct allegations are not something you want to handle alone as a physician. You need a Charlotte criminal defense attorney to address police investigations, medical licensing board proceedings, criminal proceedings, civil financial liability lawsuits, and reputation concerns.
Why do Doctors Accused of Sexual Misconduct Need Legal Help?
They say, “the customer is always right,” but the same cannot be said about patients, especially those who accuse doctors of sexual assault, rape, groping, inappropriate touching, and other forms of sexual misconduct.
Doctors are often targeted by patients with drug addictions, mental instabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and those looking to extort them.
If you, as a doctor, are being investigated by the police, it is a very real possibility that the police investigative procedure will presume that you are guilty.
There may be a way out. Consult our Charlotte criminal defense attorneys from Arnold & Smith, PLLC, to discuss your potential defense strategies to avoid the revocation of your license and criminal charges. Call at 704-370-2828 or complete this contact form to get a free consultation.
The criminal defense attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC make it their mission to zealously defend their clients on a wide range of criminal matters at both the state and federal levels. These matters may include any charge from traffic offenses; DWI/DUI; drug charges (from simple possession to possession with intent to distribute and trafficking); gun permit denials; weapons offenses; and property crimes (larceny, breaking and entering, robbery, fraud, embezzlement, white collar offenses); to sexually related offenses (indecent exposure; sexual assault, crimes against nature, removal from sex offender registry); and violent crimes (domestic violence; assault; manslaughter; homicide, murder). Other legal issues that Arnold & Smith, PLLC criminal clients may be facing include restraining orders, restraining order and probation violations, expungements; appeals; and immigration issues related to criminal charges. Our criminal defense attorneys are passionate about ensuring that individuals empower themselves by being informed about their constitutional rights, and stand at the ready to fight in the defense of those facing criminal charges.
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