#Middlebury #Veterans
A pathologist at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Arkansas has been charged with three counts of manslaughter after he altered lab results that showed he had misdiagnosed illnesses that led to the deaths of three veterans. A review of his work last summer revealed over 3,000 mistakes in his findings over the years. He was eventually fired after being suspended two years in a row for being intoxicated at work.
How on earth did someone like this continue to work at the VA?
In 2015 it was reported that he was drunk at work and a test showed his blood alcohol level at was .396. He was suspended and went into a treatment program, where he apparently learned how to stay drunk and not have it show up on tests. He was rehired by the VA in 2016, then suspended again in 2017 for working while impaired. He managed to keep from having alcohol detected in his system by using a chemical that doesn’t show up in standard alcohol tests. It does show up, apparently, on a breathalyzer, as it did when he was picked up for drunk driving in 2018.
Among other sins, he entered false information into patient records that indicated another pathologist had agreed with his findings. In one case, the veteran had prostate cancer; the pathologist said he didn’t, and the veteran died. As many as 15 deaths could be the result of his errors.
In addition to manslaughter, he faces charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and making false statements. Reviews of his work showed an error rate of 8.8 percent – the national average is 0.7 percent.
The trial was to start this October, but his attorneys requested an extension. It’s now set for September 2020. He could face 524 years in prison along with a $7.75 million fine.
How dare he plead not guilty!
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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