GUILTY OR - Dr. Mark Metzger for child sexual abuse, Portland, 2010

This is odd. I was just reading the comments under the exciting article about the Portland Boy Scouts trial and saw this disturbing comment:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/portland_sex_abuse_verdict_lea/2382/comments-2.html

"what is going on!Dr Mark Metzger, orthopedic surgeon at Adventist Hospital, was just arrested for child sex abuse....what next!?" Post April 14th by "iwillbecause"


I knew nothing of this arrest so I started doing some checking. The Oregonian itself had nothing. The Oregonian is Oregon's premier news source. This is all I could find:

http://www.kptv.com/news/23129342/detail.html

PORTLAND, Ore. -- An orthopedic surgeon is facing a sex abuse charge.

Mark Metzger was arrested March 2 on suspicion of one count of sex abuse and was released the same day, Portland officers said.

Investigators are tight-lipped about the case, but said they don't believe the charge is related to the suspect's practice...."



Why tight-lipped? Why a 6 week embargo on a release of the information? An awful lot of people in Oregon respect this surgeon. I've heard his name off and on for years. What's going on?




I found this blog, with mug shot. Note, there's lots of comments and a good bit of language. The comments run up through today. A lot of circling of the wagons. Still nothing other than the single news report. Why?

http://www.thepotshot.com/2010/03/deferred-potshot.html


From a link in one of the comments:

https://techmedweb.omb.state.or.us/Clients/ORMB/Public/VerificationDetails.aspx?EntityID=1453065

Inactive license? I would have to agree, something's going on. There better be a pretty good explanation as to why this info has not be released!! A minor female and an agreement to withdraw from practice?


Here, we finally get to the meat of the matter:

https://techmedweb.omb.state.or.us/...ents/07a6cabb-82db-46e9-a6ff-2757b536b705.pdf

This never ends ! Thanks, Missizzy, for your sharp eyes.

Wow, Izz, great lookout.

Luckily our Texas Mist didn't see this because Doc Metzger's mug shot is gruesome. He's obviously stressed.

Yo, I don't give a flip how much schooling he had or if he's a homeless guy walking around drinking a 40 outta brown paper bag. If the charges stand true they belong in the same cell.

Dear Lord they are everywhere. Everywhere.

Metzger is mentioned in an article from 2005 in the Willamette Week as being one of the owners of Northeast Portland's Physician's Hospital:

http://wweek.com/story.php?story=6856

I'm not certain as to his actual position just prior to these charges. I gather he was practicing at Adventist Hospital and Oregon Spine and Joint Clinic. He's a well known doc. Will someone explain to me how the Medical Board and Metzger were able to keep this quiet for over a month!!??

If you read his agreement to voluntarily withdraw from practice, the last paragraph is interesting. It says that according to Oregon law, this withdrawal "shall not be made subject to public disclosure. However, as a stipulation, this order is a public document."

I find that odd. They refused him total confidentiality but they made a blogger, a commenter, and a WSer follow a little trail of crumbs to reveal it. It is still not reported in the Oregon newspapers. If I were a patient, I'd be wondering why the doctor's door was locked. If I read this thread and had taken my daughter to see this man, I'd be freaking out.

I have to admit that I've followed this case, oh just a tad obsessively. It shocks me that the Oregonian NEVER once has commented about it. I've had to wade through almost 400 extremely vitriolic comments on a blog to follow this guy through the system. This has taught me the power of blogs. I used to rely on the press for investigative reports, tips, and updates. Now, I often look to blogs.

Anyway, the upshot it that the former doctor (he lost his license in March of this year) pleaded guilty. For all those who were yelling and screaming that a "vindictive ex-wife was out to get him", the doctor confessed. I know that they will most likely say the good doctor did this to spare the child the trauma of a trial. However, I'd honestly like to meet a truly innocent man who would not fight tooth and nail to prove his innocence. I refuse to accept that an innocent man will willingly walk through the prison gates for an 18 month sentence to spare a child. Think about it for a minute. If a man was truly innocent, he would not ever allow a child to do this to themselves. He would know that the guilt of a false allegation would be terrible and he would fight. Metzger confessed. He's guilty. He's also already lodged and ready for transport.

http://www.thepotshot.com/2010/08/metz-final-solution.html

"A clean-shaven and bespectacled ex-Dr. Mark was sentenced today to 18 months prison with 5 years post prison supervision, he will have to register as a sex offender for life. The prosecutor agreed to the lesser charge of Attempted Sex Abuse I so that the victim, a girl under the age of 14 that Mark knew personally, wouldn't have to testify in Court....."

more at link


Offender Name: MARK S METZGER
Offender ID: 744880

Custody Status: In Custody
Location of Offender: Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

Aliases
METZGER, MARK STEVEN

I find it unacceptable that Metzger's former patients have not been notified. We know that offenders do not stop at a single victim. This man was a highly respected orthopedic surgeon in Portland and on staff at a large hospital. Is the only way to learn of this man's crime through a single blog and WS?

Doctors are often above reproach when it comes to the law. Is this at all right? No of course not. What is amazing is that this case even went to trial, that he had his license suspended and that he is even doing jail time. I bet he is in a country club prison in a private cell.

Doctors protect their own at the expense of others. Ask almost any nurse and they will be able to give you examples. I know many who have been fired for reporting doctor behavior and surgeons are the worst. My job has been threatened in the past and it has caused me to leave one job. Adventist health systems seem to feel their doctors are close to God and the patients and staff suffer the consequense.

I thought I'd wait and see if any area news sources carried this story. They did not. So I waited some more to see if the facts reported on the blog were true. I guess they were:

MARK METZGER
Offender ID: 18367824
Date of Birth: 01/27/1969
Age: 41
Custody Status: In Custody
Scheduled Release Date: 11/11/2011
Location of Offender: Columbia River Correctional Institution
Race: White
Gender: Male

Not a very long sentence. Wonder if he will have to serve they entire sentence.

Do the math. He was sentenced in the last week of August 2010 to 18 months and yet his scheduled release date is November 11, 2011??

Did his victim get to squeeze out of a few of her sexual assaults?