Unlicensed, Now Down in the Mouth
Ventura County – When seeking dental treatment, one might be well advised to avoid patronizing those practitioners who have a dental office in their apartment bathroom. In a case that quickly attracted national media attention, that minor caveat appears to have been repeatedly and frequently ignored by patients of William Escobar, 40, who has been the subject of an ongoing investigation by the California Dental Board and Moorpark Police Department’s Investigations Unit for more than a month.
Responding to a report from a Moorpark resident that he had received dental services from Escobar in a residential apartment, and that he had received injections and tooth cleaning procedures, investigators served a search warrant on December 19th that revealed what Ventura County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Sgt. Victor Fazio described in his media report as “an elaborate illegal dental operation complete with dental chair, tools, anesthetic drugs, false teeth, and orthodontic items.” According to Fazio, it was determined that Escobar had numerous patrons, including minor children.
The reporting party, suffering swelling and pain as a result of his treatment by Escobar—who has no license to practice dentistry in California or in any other state—informed investigators that when he was unable to pay for additional unperformed surgical services, “Escobar later called and threatened him” in an attempt to collect his fee.
Escobar was arrested at his 600 Spring Road residence and charged with felony practice of dentistry without a license, misdemeanor furnishing of drugs, and the possession of needles. He was booked into Ventura County Jail, where he remains pending a bail hearing.
“The Moorpark Police Station is seeking any customers of Escobar to contact the department. Investigators are especially interested in speaking to any children and their parents who received dental or orthodonture care from Escobar,” says Fazio.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ventura County Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477). A reward of $1,000 is available for any information that leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
Read more:
The Huffington Post- William Escobar Accused of Practicing Dentistry Without License in Apartment Bathroom
The Los Angeles Times- Moorpark Man Accused of Unlicensed Dentistry
