Dentist Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Riding Hoverboard While Extracting Patient’s Tooth

An Alaskan dentist was sentenced to 12 years in jail after sharing video of himself performing a tooth extraction on a patient while riding a hoverboard, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Seth Lookhart was so proud of his little stunt that he shared the recording around to friends and eventually caught the attention of authorities for the reckless act. The patient, Veronica Wilhem, was unconscious at the time of the operation and had no idea what was going on but was said to be “pretty livid” when she discovered the truth.

  1. The video beggars belief. When you go to see a medical professional, you expect them to treat you with care and respect. Having a dentist zooming around the office on a hoverboard while carrying out a serious procedure isn’t just inappropriate, it’s downright shocking. As Wilhem told the court, she would never have approved of Lookhart being on a hoverboard while carrying out her extraction and she felt violated by the behavior.
  2. Lookhart’s lawyer apologized on his behalf. Addressing Wilhem in court, defense attorney Paul Stockler apologized on his client’s behalf, saying, “I want you to know that as his lawyer, I apologize for what he did on that hoverboard. It’s unacceptable and you can be assured that when I agreed to represent him, I got in his face and told him what I thought about him for doing this, which I think needed to be done.”
  3. This wasn’t his only crime. In addition to riding a hoverboard around, messages sent by Lookhart to friends saw him bragging about his crimes, which included a “lucrative” fraud scheme aimed at convincing patients to undergo costly and unnecessary sedations so that he could bill Medicaid for the money. Wilhem even revealed how her young son had been sedated for a simple teeth cleaning.
  4. The judge was not impressed with Lookhart. “In reviewing all this over and over again, I have this visceral response – you darn near killed some people,” Judge Michael Wolverton told Lookhart during sentencing. He was convicted of fraud, as well as misdemeanor counts of illegal practice of dentistry and reckless endangerment. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, which began on December 7.
Jennifer Still is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience. The managing editor of Bolde, she has bylines in Vanity Fair, Business Insider, The New York Times, Glamour, Bon Appetit, and many more. You can follow her on Twitter @jenniferlstill
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