There are times when people might act out of character for a variety of reasons. When the person is a medical professional, those out-of-character moments might end up causing more of a stir than they would otherwise. A recent case that involves a Maryland dentist proves this point unequivocally.
The dentist, whose license to practice dentistry was suspended last year, was facing charges for unlawfully distributing oxycodone and for attempting induce a girl who was underage into sexual activities. A recent deal was struck with the federal prosecutors that resulted in the dentist only having to plead guilty to one of the drug charges. The other drug charge and the sex-related charge were both dropped.
The man pleaded guilty to that one count and is set to be sentenced on in it August. He faces up to 20 years in prison. While he still has to face state charges for exposing himself in his office and soliciting a minor, knowing that these federal charges have been taken care of probably takes a lot of worry off his mind.
No matter what the charges are, every defendant has the right to present a defense or to work with the prosecution to come up with a plea deal. In this case, the former dentist was able to work out a deal that resulted in two charges getting dropped. Knowing about the charges placed against you and learning about plea deals are things that can help defendants to get a resolution of their case that they can live with, even if it means having to face time in jail. However, it’s important to remember that plea deals are not the right choice for all defendants.
Source: CBS Baltimore, “Western Md. Dentist Gets Plea Deal On Federal Drug Charges” No author given, Jun. 10, 2014