Clinic owner, doctor arrested in drug sting

SPRING HILL –
Lynn Hutchinson kept her head down for most of the short walk to the deputy cruiser.

At one point after she was led out of her pain-management clinic in handcuffs, she glared and barked at photographers who were snapping photos.

Television cameras and reporters swarmed around her and the two deputies who were escorting her.

“Get out of my face,” Hutchinson blurted to one photographer standing less than 5 feet in front of her.

Moments later, she tried to appear more peaceful.

She said “God is good” to the group of reporters after she got in the car.

Dr. Harold Edward Sleight, 70, was brought out more than 30 minutes later by more deputies. He refused to make eye contact and said nothing as he ducked under a strip of yellow tape and got into the backseat of the second cruiser parked near the front entrance.

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office responded shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday to Hope Pain Management Group at 1250 Mariner Blvd. to execute a search warrant. Deputies also searched Hutchinson’s home at 3256 Gulf Wind Circle the same day, said Cpl. Wendy McGinnis, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.

Both Hutchinson and Sleight were interviewed throughout the day along with several employees.

Hutchinson, 46, was charged with myriad felonies, including unlicensed practice of a health care physician, unlawful practice of medicine and fraudulent representation of a practitioner to obtain a controlled substance.

Sleight was charged with principal to unlicensed practice of a health care physician and principal to unlawful practice of medicine. He is accused of writing blank prescriptions and giving them to Hutchinson.

Deputies conducted an 18-month investigation, which was called Operation No Hope by the sheriff’s office’s narcotics unit.

Several undercover detectives and confidential informants took part in the operation, said McGinnis.

Those who work at nearby businesses said they expected Tuesday’s arrests to happen sooner or later. The clinic attracted its share of scruffy and strung-out people, they said.

“I knew it every time one came in here,” said Karen Gigante, who works at a neighboring business. “They come in here wanting to use the bathroom.”

A few customers defended Hutchinson and her employees. Milton Van Sandt, of Spring Hill, never suspected they were doing their jobs unethically.

He pulled into the parking lot that morning hoping to pick up a prescription. He looked bewildered after he realized the business had been shut down.

“I’m completely shocked,” he said. “The doctors there are always (saying), ‘Don’t break the law at all.’ They have a bunch of signs up.”

He described how sensitive they were with patients with debilitating conditions. They would contact authorities whenever they encountered someone suspicious, he said.

“They were like family all the way,” Van Sandt continued. “They were very nice. I’m just shocked.”

He also said he was under the impression Hutchinson was a doctor.

Sgt. John Cameron, a sheriff’s spokesman, emphasized Hutchinson was not legally permitted to practice medicine.

“She has never been licensed to be a doctor in Florida,” he said.

Hutchinson was arrested three years ago on a charge of concealing information from a practitioner to obtain a prescription. It was eventually dropped, according to court records.

In her mug shot from 2008, she had “Dr. Lynn Hutchinson” embroidered on her scrubs.

“The (detectives and informants) were sent for MRIs without ever seeing the doctor,” said McGinnis. “They were also given physical exams and issued prescriptions for pain medicine.”

McGinnis said Hutchinson performed the MRIs and exams while Sleight “condoned these practices and did nothing to curtail” them.

“I didn’t think I had to be worried about anything at this doctor, so it kind of concerns me about the treatment that I’ve been receiving here,” said a disheveled Dana Nelson, who arrived Tuesday morning for a prescription.

Her sweatshirt was on backward.

Employees at nearby businesses said the clinic was busiest on Tuesdays — the first day of the week it opened. Customers would pick up prescriptions at the clinic and often would go to the pharmacy next door to obtain medicine.

The pharmacy and its employees were not part of the investigation, said McGinnis.

Patients who arrived Tuesday learned their medical records were seized and would not be released by the sheriff’s office until Monday.

That frustrated Van Sandt, who said he needed his medication for the chronic pain from the injuries inflicted following a car accident 10 years ago. He’s also had two brain surgeries. He pointed to the two visible scars on his head.

“They’ve been perfect,” Van Sandt said of Hutchinson and her employees. “There’s no jacking around. That’s why I liked coming here. I just can’t believe it.”

McGinnis said more charges could be filed against Hutchinson and Sleight as the investigation continues.

Lisa Listowski, who works at a business in the same plaza, was among those who expected to see deputies swarming the area.

“Not having them here is probably a good thing,” she said of the clinic’s customers. “They actually hurt our business in a way, so I guess it’s a relief.”

She acknowledged Hutchinson made an effort to at least lessen the flow of customers each morning.

“She changed it more to an appointment-based system,” Listowski said. “Before that, they would be standing in line in the parking lot waiting.”

NewsChannel8 reporter Dave Kraut contributed to this story. [email protected] (352) 544-5283