 Thu, Aug 28, 2008 05:08 AM
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2008-07-11  Duluth | Johns Creek closes down alleged illegal dentist
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| | | (SPECIAL/www.northfulton.com)
Johns Creek police said the alleged illegal denistry operation included this bedroom, which was converted into an office complete with dental chair and waste disposal device. (click for larger version) | |
July 17, 2008 | 10:09 AM
JOHNS CREEK — Johns Creek police working undercover arrested a woman July 2 allegedly practicing dentistry illegally in her home on Ogeechee Drive.
According to investigators, Claudinette Varon-Castro, 44, had a full-blown dentistry operation in a bedroom, bathroom and closet on the second floor of her home off Morton Road.
The home-operated business included a dental chair, tools, an X-ray machine and her diploma — to let customers know she was the real deal — from the Colegio Odontologico Colombiano dated June 1989.
Rosemary Taylor, a spokeswoman with the Johns Creek Police Department, said Varon-Castro's immigration status is being checked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officials.
Police reports state undercover officers, tipped off by neighbors concerned at the amount of traffic at the home, set up an appointment with Varon-Castro July 2. They found the dental operation, complete with a chair and overhead light, set up in the bedroom with cleaning supplies.
Investigators reported there was a suction machine hooked up to the toilet to flush away blood and other waste. The X-ray machine was in a closet, "because of the radiation," Varon-Castro reportedly told officers.
While at the house, Varon-Castro reportedly took a look at an undercover officer's mouth and said she'd need X-rays and anesthesia to begin the procedure, which would cost $180.
Instead, the officer just asked for drugs. She was allegedly given 22 pills from a bottle marked "amoxicillin," a common medicine used to treat infections caused by bacteria. It cost $60.
Later that day officers returned with a search warrant and arrested Varon-Castro outside her home. They reportedly found ledger, appointment and address books full of client information and a host of various anesthesia and other drugs used in dentistry.
Varon-Castro was charged with practicing dentistry without a license and two counts of having dangerous drugs. She posted bail July 3 on a $25,000 bond.
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