A former Texas dentist who left a young child, 4 at the time, with irreversible brain damage after a botched surgery received probation, despite prosecutors seeking a lengthy prison sentence.
According to the KHOU, a Harris County jury previously convicted Bethaniel Jefferson of reckless injury to a child. On Thursday, the judge sentenced the ex-dentist to five years probation, instead of the jury’s recommended 10-year prison sentence.
“I don’t think justice was served,” Assistant District Attorney Gilbert Sawtelle said, following the conviction. “She failed for five hours … She was more worried about herself than that little girl’s life.”
Prosecutors sought up to 20 years in prison after Jefferson’s actions left a patient, Nevaeh Hall, with permanent brain damage. Jefferson failed to call 911 when Nevaeh started seizing during a dental procedure in 2016.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Nevaeh began screaming and convulsing during the procedure to treat a decayed tooth, which doctors believed to be a seizure. She left the appointment in an ambulance and was hospitalized with what doctors characterized as severe brain damage.
Years later, Nevaeh is conscious but requires around-the-clock medical care.
“The evidence in trial was heartbreaking,” Ryan Skiver, a lawyer for the family, told KPRC-TV last year. “A 30-pound girl, little more than a toddler, was physically and chemically suffocated by an out-of-control, financially motivated dentist.”
In 2022, A Houston jury awarded $95.5 million to Nehaeh’s family. The award, however, might be a win on paper only. Jefferson reportedly does not have sufficient insurance coverage or assets to cover the award.
Following the incident, authorities revoked Jefferson’s medical license and charged her with intentionally and knowingly by omission causing serious bodily injury to a child by failing to seek and provide adequate medical attention. The disgraced dentist is scheduled for trial in October.
It was not the first time concerns were raised about Jefferson’s dental practice. The Texas Dental Board had reprimanded her previously in 2005 and 2012, according to FOX 26.
Meanwhile, Nevaeh’s grandmother, Clara Clark, echoed Sawtelle’s sentiments and called Jefferson’s punishment “very unfair.”
“Justice was not served,” she said. “She should have gotten prison time.”
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[Feature Photo: Family Handout]
