Authorities in Georgia say a family practice doctor threatened physical violence against members of her staff in an incident that resulted in her arrest last week.
According to Newsweek, Dr. Marian Antoinette Patterson allegedly told employees at her Valdosta practice earlier this year that she would “slit their throats” in addition to assorted personal threats.
Documents filed as part of a motion to revoke her license accuse the doctor of grabbing at least one staff member during an aggressive tirade in February, as reported by WTXL.
She is also accused of throwing items at others in the office and preventing at least one employee from leaving. The complaint further alleges that Patterson told a female employee that she would slice her from her “throat to private parts.”
Police say she threatened at least one other staff member, saying that she would “call the employee’s children so that they could see” her cut the individual’s head off and “roll it down a hallway.”
Her outburst also allegedly included property damage, including the destruction of her own diploma. Some witnesses speculated she might have been intoxicated at the time of the incident.
The Georgia Composite Medical Board ruled to suspend Patterson’s license last month in light of the allegations. Authorities were pursuing a criminal case at the same time, subsequently securing an arrest warrant against the doctor.
Patterson reportedly surrendered to authorities on Thursday at the Lowndes County Jail. She is expected to face charges including terrorist threats and false imprisonment.
Jail records indicate she was released after posting bond.
[Featured image: Marian Patterson/Lowndes County Jail]