Doctor accused of killing boss seeks medical license
The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners gave Johnson City physician Ray W. Mettetal Jr. a chance to practice again by meeting some conditions, including psychological treatment.
Criminal charges against Mettetal are pending, with two previous convictions having been set aside because police illegally seized evidence.
Mettetal was first convicted in Virginia in 1998 of possessing the deadly toxin ricin to use as a weapon and having fake identifications. Another conviction in 2001 was overturned.
Police said Mettetal intended to kill his former boss, Dr. George Allen, when he was caught in 1995 wearing a disguise near Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Allen was the chief of neurosurgery at Vanderbilt when Mettetal unsuccessfully sought a neurosurgery residency there.
Investigators said they found a storage unit rented to one of Mettetal’s aliases containing ricin, recipes for making poisons, disguises, fake identifications and details about Allen’s personal habits.
Mettetal’s Tennessee medical license had been under retirement status but the state medical licensing board last month suspended his license — pending his compliance with stipulations set by Virginia last year.
The Virginia licensing board cited three 2003 independent psychiatric evaluations of Mettetal that conclude he has no current symptoms of mental illness and “is probably suitable to practice as a physician.”
The board also found Mettetal, a former University of Virginia neurologist who has not practiced since 1995, may need to freshen up his skills.
Mettetal is to submit a detailed report from his most recent psychological therapist in Tennessee, including a diagnosis, prognosis, treatment recommendations and a statement regarding Mettetal’s ability to safely resume his practice. He then must undergo in psychotherapy with a therapist and submit quarterly reports.
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Information from: Johnson City Press, http://www.johnsoncitypress.com