JUDGE LOWERS PASADENA DENTIST'S BAIL IN OVER-SEDATION CASE.Byline: Howard Breuer and Janette Williams Staff Writers PASADENA - Police seized 50 more files Tuesday from a Pasadena dentist charged with over-sedating children, as a judge agreed to lower the dentist's bail. Pasadena Superior Court Judge Mary Thornton House said she will consider allowing Dr. Druciel Ford to return to her practice after a preliminary hearing March 2. House will also consider certain restrictions for Ford, including the possibility of supervision by another dentist. The judge agreed Tuesday to lower Ford's bail from $380,000 to $100,000 after hearing testimony from several of her supporters. Friends and colleagues of Ford described her as a compassionate citizen who loves children and deserves her license. Ford's lawyer said she was being unfairly prosecuted. Another judge revoked Ford's license earlier this month pending the outcome of the case. Ford faces 14 charges, including five counts of child abuse as well as charges of unprofessional conduct. They stem partially from allegations that Ford nearly killed a teen-ager last year with a dose of chloral hydrate chloral hydrate (klōr`əl hī`drāt), central nervous system depressant that is widely used as a hypnotic, or sleep-inducing drug. , a sedative sedative, any of a variety of drugs that relieve anxiety. Most sedatives act as mild depressants of the nervous system, lessening general nervous activity or reducing the irritability or activity of a specific organ. used by dentists. Melissa McGrath, 16, is partially paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. and can barely communicate. She's being cared for in a Pomona nursing home. Deputy District Attorney Albert MacKenzie said local officials have received more than 80 complaints since Ford was arrested earlier this month and are continuing their investigation. He said investigators spent several hours at her office Tuesday looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. 77 files and left with 50. The testimony from Ford supporters prompted MacKenzie to ask each of them if they were familiar with the criminal case. ``What do you think of a dentist who overdoses a patient with chloral hydrate and then deliberately lies to paramedics about it?'' MacKenzie asked Dr. Wanda Claro, an Irvine dentist who said her longtime friend ``would never do anything to jeopardize jeop·ard·ize tr.v. jeop·ard·ized, jeop·ard·iz·ing, jeop·ard·izes To expose to loss or injury; imperil. See Synonyms at endanger. a child.'' Ford's attorneys said she has not been found guilty of anything, and she needs to return to her practice at 1127 E. Green St. to support her family and pay for her legal defense. Attorney Robert H. McNeill Jr. said the searches and MacKenzie's threat of more charges are intimidation tactics and said his client is a good dentist who's being treated unfairly. The Rev. Charles David Charles David is an American designer of luxury leather goods and shoes. The family owned company began U.S. distribution of European shoes in 1987. Its first retail store opened on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, CA in 1988. In 2005, it had 25 retail stores across the U. Rose of the Pasadena Church of Religious Science testified that Ford, a member of his congregation, has treated a third of her patients at no cost and is a woman of compassion and character. But MacKenzie suggested Ford may have lied to Rose about the number of children she has treated for free, just like she allegedly lied to paramedics after McGrath's heart and lungs stopped for 28 minutes. ``Fear has us do many things which are somewhat out of character,'' Rose said. MacKenzie said he opposes allowing Ford to return to dentistry dentistry, treatment and care of the teeth and associated oral structures. Dentistry is mainly concerned with tooth decay, disease of the supporting structures, such as the gums, and faulty positioning of the teeth. under any conditions. Jan McGrath, who has filed a civil lawsuit against Ford over her daughter's near-death incident last year, said her daughter requires constant care and can barely speak or sit up in a chair. Her arms are paralyzed. ``I don't see how they can keep the place open and endanger en·dan·ger tr.v. en·dan·gered, en·dan·ger·ing, en·dan·gers 1. To expose to harm or danger; imperil. 2. To threaten with extinction. more children's lives,'' McGrath said. On the stand Tuesday was Pasadena police Officer Walter Ireland, who is leading the investigation along with Michael Guerrero, a senior investigator with the state dental board. Ireland wrote a letter to the attorneys saying his own children have been treated by Ford and he has nothing personal against her. But McNeill complained that after Brian R. Kelberg - deputy district attorney in charge of the Medicolegal medicolegal /med·i·co·le·gal/ (med?i-ko-le´g'l) pertaining to medical jurisprudence. med·i·co·le·gal adj. Of, relating to, or concerned with medicine and law. Section - rejected the case and suggested Ireland take it to the Pasadena City Attorney's Office for possible misdemeanor prosecution. Ireland instead shopped the case to the district attorney's Pasadena branch so felony felony (fĕl`ənē), any grave crime, in contrast to a misdemeanor, that is so declared in statute or was so considered in common law. charges could be filed. A letter from Kelberg to Ireland was included in McNeill's motion to alter the conditions of Ford's bail. Guerrero said five of Ford's patients filed complaints about her before the McGrath case, but those cases were all dismissed because of insufficient evidence insufficient evidence n. a finding (decision) by a trial judge or an appeals court that the prosecution in a criminal case or a plaintiff in a lawsuit has not proved the case because the attorney did not present enough convincing evidence. or other reasons and no disciplinary action was ever taken against her. House said the question of restoring Ford's license to practice dentistry was ``an extremely troubling issue'' that she will revisit re·vis·it tr.v. re·vis·it·ed, re·vis·it·ing, re·vis·its To visit again. n. A second or repeated visit. re after Ford's preliminary hearing. ``Something could work out short of complete denial of practice,'' House said. ``But we have to assume what is in the complaint is true and I have to err on the side of public safety,'' the judge said. McNeill said his next step would be to present a ``comprehensive plan'' to the court to allow Ford to resume practice. State legislation introduced in January regulating the administration of conscious sedation conscious sedation, n a state of sedation in which the patient remains aware of his or her person, surroundings, and conditions but without experiencing pain or anxiety. to children under 13 was needed because of a ``pervasive problem'' among dentists in California, McNeill said. Ford, he said, was being unfairly singled out for prosecution. ``I believe that's what's happening here,'' he said. ``I can't think of another prosecution where someone administered chloral hydrate where there wasn't a death involved.'' |
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