Oakdale doctor’s license at stake amid allegations of sexual exploitation, misconduct
An Oakdale family doctor has been accused by the State Attorney General’s Office of molesting his 7-year-old stepdaughter and prescribing her and her mother dangerous combinations and dosages of opiates and psychotropic drugs, among other allegations.
Dr. Mark Cook, who works at Oakdale Family Medicine, allegedly molested his stepdaughter over the course of his two-year marriage to her mother from 2015 to 2017, according to the accusations released by the Medical Board of California on Oct. 8.
He is accused of sexual exploitation and sexual misconduct as well as gross negligence and repeated negligent acts related to the drugs he prescribed his then-wife and stepdaughter without proper diagnoses or monitoring, and dishonesty for statements he made during the investigations that were contradicted by other medical professionals.
Cook has not been charged criminally. The accusations brought by the State Attorney General’s Office on behalf of the Medical Board can only result in discipline related to his medical license, not jail time.
Cook’s stepdaughter has been interviewed five times by a variety of officials over the past three years about the alleged sexual abuse.
The Oakdale Police Department investigated Cook for the alleged child molestation in 2017.
Lt. Jeff Henderson said in an email that an arrest affidavit for Cook for the charge of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor was submitted to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office in October 2017, but the DA declined to file.
“No crime could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury based upon the information we received,” said DA spokesperson John Goold. “Consequently, no charges were filed.”
In December 2017, Oakdale Police searched Cook’s home and seized items that were “examined by an expert and included in the case file,” Henderson said.
A surveillance system, flash drives, SD cards and CDs were seized but “nothing of evidentiary value was located.”
Cook’s medical license is still valid while the board awaits his response and a possible administrative hearing or settlement.
Cook did not respond to multiple attempts by The Bee seeking comment. He denied allegations he sexually abused his stepdaughter in court documents in a separate and ongoing case involving Cook and his ex-wife over the custody of their 3-year-old son.
An employee who answered the phone at Oakdale Family Medicine on West H Street said other doctors at the practice declined to comment. During a return call to the office on Thursday, an employee said Cook was there working but “not available to speak.” He didn’t return the message left by The Bee.
The investigation into Cook was conducted by a sworn peace officer with the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Health Quality Investigations Unit and forwarded to the California Attorney General’s Office.
“The AG essentially acts as the Board’s attorney, and if they feel the case has met the burden of proof of clear and convincing evidence to a reasonable certainty, they file the charging document,” said Medical Board spokesman Carlos Villatoro.
The following are the accusations laid out in the 27-page document filed by the AG’s Office:
Sexual abuse of a child
Shortly after marrying her mother, Cook gave his stepdaughter a diamond ring similar to an engagement ring, which she wore on her ring finger, that he described as a “sentimental gift between a father and daughter,” according to the document.
Cook’s ex-wife, who declined to comment for this story, separated from Cook in August 2017. According to the document, it was about three weeks after the separation that her daughter confided in her about the abuse.
She filed for divorce and a restraining order the same day and took her daughter to Child Protective Services to file a report two days later.
The daughter denied the abuse the first time she was interviewed by Child Protective Services but on subsequent interviews with CPS, law enforcement and medical professionals, she alleged Cook would come into her room at night, get in bed with her and either masturbate next to her or molest her.
She said before he would start Cook always made her recite the prayer “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.”
The sexual abuse claims are being reviewed by the Medical Board because Cook’s stepdaughter and then-wife became his patients when he allegedly began diagnosing them and prescribing them drugs.
Prescriptions of dangerous drug combinations
Also during the marriage, Cook allegedly prescribed the girl Adderall, a central nervous system stimulant used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Cook’s medical notes said she had previously been prescribed Adderall for a diagnosis of ADHD but investigators found no evidence of that, according to the document filed by the AG’s office.
She took the Adderall for two years at a dose 10 to 15 mg higher than the recommended maximum. According to the document, Cook never ordered the appropriate test to confirm the girl had ADHD or the lab work to monitor for risks of toxicity or heart problems that can occur with the drug.
In October of 2016, the girl’s mother and Cook took her to a psychiatrist because she was showing signs of regression from a trauma she experienced in 2014. For a period of time after witnessing domestic violence between her mother and biological father, the girl had stopped talking and would only sing or stutter, according to the document. Her father died the following year.
The psychiatrist recommended her Adderall dose be decreased and that she begin taking the antipsychotic medicine Seroquel.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we did this story
The Bee obtained the accusations against Dr. Cook by the medical board, the search warrant served in 2017 and divorce records to report this story. The Bee repeatedly called numbers associated with Cook, emailed him and left messages with his office and an attorney representing him in his family court case. A man who answered one of the phone numbers listed for Cook on Friday denied he was Cook then hung up when he asked who was calling and the reporter identified herself.
Cook told an investigator he wasn’t present during the appointment with the psychiatrist, that he stayed in the parking lot with his stepdaughter. But when interviewed by the investigator, the psychiatrist said Cook was not only present at the appointment but did most of the talking, according to the document.
The psychiatrist referred the girl to another psychiatrist in Modesto for management of her medication. She said management of psychotropic drugs for a child is beyond the scope of a primary care physician such as Cook. She also provided Cook the names of several therapists she recommended for the girl.
The girl never saw the Modesto psychiatrist she was referred to or any therapist. Instead, Cook began prescribing her the Seroquel, over time increasing her dose to four times the maximum dosage the psychiatrist had recommended. The drug’s side effects include dizziness, fatigue, elevated blood pressure and tremors, slow movement and impaired speech similar to what is seen in people with Parkinson’s Disease, according to the document.
Cook is also accused of prescribing his ex-wife a mixture of opiates and benzodiazepines, sedatives often used to treat anxiety, without any documentation of a medical diagnosis for their need.
According to the document, “It is the standard of care to avoid prescribing opiates and benzodiazepines in combination” because of the increased risk of overdose, respiratory depression and death.
For example, Cook prescribed his ex-wife the opioid Oxycodone and the sedative Zolpidem which, according to the document, is in the “serious interaction category” and shouldn’t be prescribed together.
The dosage of Oxycodone she was taking was highly addictive and posed an increased chance of overdose, according to the document.
Cook told investigators his ex-wife’s fertility doctor asked him to prescribe fertility medication for her in order to reduce the number of trips to the fertility doctor’s Palo Alto office.
The fertility doctor told investigators he “never allowed, consented, consulted, nor directed (Cook) to prescribe, continue to prescribe, nor treat” Cook’s ex-wife on his behalf.
License could be revoked
Villatoro, the Medical Board spokesman, said Cook faces penalties ranging from losing his medical license to a getting a public letter of reprimand if the charges are found to be true.
He said if penalties are not agreed upon during a settlement conference, the case would go before an administrative law judge, who would draft a proposed decision for the Medical Board. The Board can either adopt, reduce or increase any penalties proposed by the judge and any decision by the board can be appealed all the way up to the California Supreme Court.
Cook has until Oct. 23 to respond with a Notice of Defense; otherwise the Board can take action without a hearing. He had not responded as of Tuesday, Villatoro said.
The legal process takes an average of a year, according to an annual report by the Medical Board.
Asked whether criminal charges would be considered again in light of the accusations brought by the Attorney General’s Office Goold said, “No.”
“We reviewed all the available evidence in making our decision based upon the criminal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said. “Administrative hearings regarding possibly losing a license are vastly different from a criminal case. If new, relevant and admissible evidence came up that allows us to meet our burden of proof we would certainly consider that.”
How we reported this story
The Bee obtained the accusations against Dr. Cook by the medical board, the search warrant served in 2017 and divorce records to report this story. The Bee repeatedly called numbers associated with Cook, emailed him and left messages with his office and an attorney representing him in his family court case. A man who answered one of the phone numbers listed for Cook on Friday denied he was Cook then hung up when he asked who was calling and the reporter identified herself.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
