Doug Lenhart botched a surgical castration in 2003 and was subsequently taken to court and found guilty. His sentence was to be set in September 2004.

Does anyone know the sentence awarded to Doug Lenhart for his botched castration in 2003?

Paula

Hi.

He was sentenced to time already served plus three years' probation. Here it is in today's news:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04335/419238.stm

Hugs,

Kelly

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

original text from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette page

A Kansas man yesterday was sentenced to time served after he pleaded guilty to traveling here last year to perform a castration on a woman who also had male genitalia.

Doug Lenhart yesterday told Common Pleas Judge John A. Zottola that he met the woman, Catherine Watson of McKeesport, on the Internet. She was desperately pleading for help because she could not afford the more than $10,000 that doctors wanted to remove her testicles.

"Did you tell her you were a doctor?" Zottola asked Lenhart.

"I am a doctor. I have a Ph.D.," he answered.

"That's really twisting the [truth]," Zottola countered, pointing out that Lenhart, 49, has lived on a farm most of his life and earned his degrees in business administration.

Lenhart said he learned some surgical techniques on farm animals and had done a number of castrations. He said that he and his wife were moved by the woman's desperation.

Defense attorney James Wymard said Watson, 46, told Lenhart that she was so miserable about her condition that she had planned to drive to a hospital parking lot and perform the operation herself with a friend prepared to seek the immediate medical attention she would need.

Lenhart said he agreed to perform the operation for the cost of his materials.

On Sept. 12, 2003, on Watson's dining room table, he successfully removed one testicle, he said. The second one was "strangulated" and he was unable to stop the bleeding.

The wound was repaired during emergency surgery at UPMC McKeesport after Lenhart left the scene.

At a preliminary hearing, Watson testified that she did not want Lenhart imprisoned for trying to help her.

"When he was questioned by police," Assistant District Attorney Janet Necessary said, "he said that he'd done it before. I don't know which is worse, that he did it before or that he's never done it before."

Lenhart said he would never do it again, in keeping with the judge's order.

"I am completely embarrassed," he said. "I love Catherine. My wife and I miss her. We do only wish her the very best. I should have said 'no,' but she begged me."

Lenhart pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and unauthorized practice of medicine and surgery. A count of reckless endangerment was withdrawn. Zottola sentenced Lenhart to 10 to 20 months in prison, immediately prohibiting any further jail time. Zottola said Lenhart could serve the remainder of the sentence, three years of probation, in Kansas.

Catherine Watson testified on Lenhart's behalf - she asked the judge not to subject him to anymore jail time. The judge was sympathetic to her request. The newspaper and the TV stations were not sensationalistic about this either.

The biggest lesson to learn from this is that even the simplest and best intended of surgical procdures can go bad and using medical doctors and hospital facilities is the best approach.

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Paolo wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2004 5:11 pm "Did you tell her you were a doctor?" Zottola asked Lenhart.

"I am a doctor. I have a Ph.D.," he answered.

If he gave this response under oath, when he's trying to get released from jail, he's not the brightest bulb into the house.

-jab

His answer is legally corret. Still, itwas pretty silly.

He should have been asked if he were a medical doctor then queried about his medical training. That would have dug a hole for him and exposed his ridiculous misrepresentation.

The prosecutor didn't want to jail Lenhart - the prosecution needed the conviction to act as deterent against anyone who wanted to practice medicine without proper credentials. But the prosecution only did enough to get Lenhart convicted, not thrown in jail.

I don't condone what Lenhart did... He thought he could do it - and granted anyone with a good mind could perform routine medical procedures, but it's the little curve balls that nature throws at surgeons that require the years of experience.

Just goes to show you that nothing is safe and even the best of plans devised to keep you out of the hospital and subsequent mental evaluation are generally guaranteed to get you into the hospital and the 2 week vacation in the state hospital to follow. there should be some tolerance in the general community, but as long as society at large tends to live in denial, we all will be religated to live our life underground.

Dave - good point.

I can understand desperation but anyone who submits to a serious medical procedure on a kitchen table probably needs psychiatric evaluation.

Acceptance by the medical community of those who wish to pursue castration and/or genital nullification would stop incidents like this.

I have to agree with Taylor. I can't imagine being so crazy and stupid to allow some butcher to "operate" on you at home or in a hotel or something. Even in the best trained physician's hands, surgery can go wrong, and no one should even think of having this done unless it's by a physician.