Man posed as ED doctor, used lost badge, police say
Police in Atlanta report they have arrested a man posing as an emergency physician in a hospital, and authorities in Jacksonville, FL, say they still are hunting for a man seen impersonating a doctor in a children's hospital.
The Atlanta Police Department released a statement saying Eric Perteet was arrested at Piedmont Hospital. Tammi Perteet, the man's wife, told WSB-TV in Atlanta that she had believed her husband was an emergency physician at the hospital, dropping him off at the hospital to go to work. She said he even called her frequently during the day to talk about the difficulties of being an emergency physician, even lamenting about the times he lost patients.
Mrs. Perteet told the television station that when he didn't call one evening, she telephoned the Piedmont Hospital emergency department and was surprised when staff said they had never heard of a "Dr. Perteet." The staff member asked if she was looking for the man who had the cell phone she called and, when she said yes, she was told that man had been arrested for impersonating a doctor.
Police report that Perteet was arrested on charges of identity fraud, receiving stolen property, and credit card theft. The police report says he was found at the hospital with a stolen Piedmont security badge and a vial of medicine. Hospital officials told police that the identification badge had been reported stolen by a physician at the facility, and that its electronic access had been deactivated. Perteet's wife told the television station that when he was arrested, Perteet and a nurse were transporting a patient from the emergency department to intensive care.
Piedmont Hospital issued a statement saying there was no evidence that Perteet interacted with patients and that it is cooperating with police.
In Jacksonville, FL, law enforcement authorities in May report that they are searching for a man seen in a children's hospital wearing a convincing imitation of a doctor's outfit, down to the stethoscope and an identification badge.
There was no report of harm to patients, staff, or visitors, and it appears nothing was stolen, says Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesman Ken Jefferson. But staff at Wolfson Children's Hospital staff noticed that the man was not known in the hospital, and subsequent review of security tapes show that he walked the halls unchecked for more than an hour.
Jefferson says the man wandered the corridors of the hospital from 5 a.m. to 6:10 a.m. that day wearing scrubs, a white coat, a stethoscope, and carrying a black bag. He fled after a hospital employee detected the odor of alcohol on his breath and stopped to question him. The staff notified hospital security at 10 a.m., according to the sheriff's office.
The sheriff's office obtained a photo of the man from surveillance camera footage and sent it to local hospitals. A black computer bag was found later that day beneath a car in the parking garage containing the items the man used to blend in with the hospital staff, Jefferson says.
The scrubs were a generic type, not those used by the hospital. The badge was a Humana identification card from Shands Jacksonville Medical Center in Florida, but with a yearbook picture pasted on the front, Jefferson reports.
The sheriff's office is investigating whether the man might be responsible for recent thefts of laptops and purses from other hospitals.
Police in Atlanta report they have arrested a man posing as an emergency physician in a hospital, and authorities in Jacksonville, FL, say they still are hunting for a man seen impersonating a doctor in a children's hospital.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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