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Deputies: Doctor ignored suspension

The osteopath also told detectives he was trying to obtain tablets of a prescription drug for his own use.

By TAMARA EL-KHOURY
Published January 10, 2006

PALM HARBOR - William Gregory Dotzman's medical license was suspended because of his dependence on cocaine and alcohol.

But he continued to practice medicine anyway.

That landed Dotzman, 42, of 2393 Oakbend Drive, No. 1228, in jail Monday, charged with one count each of practicing medicine without a license and attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud, according to Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Jim Bordner. Both charges are third-degree felonies.

Dotzman remained in the county jail Monday evening, with bail set at $20,000.

The investigation began last month after detectives received a complaint from a supplier that Dotzman, an osteopath, was trying to obtain 100 1-milligram tablets of Lorazepam. Lorazepam is a generic form of the drug Ativan, which, according to the Food and Drug Administration, is used to treat several conditions, including anxiety. It is also used as a sedative and to reduce seizures.

Dotzman told detectives he was trying to get the drug for his own use, Bordner said.

According to an administrative complaint filed by the state Department of Health, Dotzman's license had been suspended in September after he was arrested by the Sheriff's Office on May 9, 2004, and accused of driving under the influence of alcohol. At the time, he worked at Bay Medical Center in Dunedin.

Dotzman was reported to the Professionals Resource Network, the impaired practitioners' program for the state Board of Osteopathic Medicine, according to the complaint. An evaluation deemed that Dotzman was not safe to practice medicine.

The complaint said Dotzman completed a monthlong inpatient treatment program, but treatment counselors said Dotzman's progress in the program was poor and that he had relapsed on his alcohol abuse.

The Board of Osteopathic Medicine ordered that Dotzman be fined $12,500 and that his license be suspended for two years.

Although the board didn't give him permission to return to work, he went back to Bay Medical anyway. The complaint said Dotzman was working at Doctor's Walk-in Clinic at 26812 U.S. 19 N in Clearwater on Jan. 26, 2005.

Bordner said he did not know Dotzman's most recent place of practice.

Anyone who was treated by Dotzman since Sept. 21 is asked to contact Detective Phil Mansfield of the Sheriff's Office Narcotics Division at (727) 582-6200.

[Last modified January 10, 2006, 01:52:17]