Texas anesthesiologist arrested for allegedly tampering with IVs, one of which may have caused the death of fellow doctor

Texas anesthesiologist arrested for allegedly tampering with IVs, one of which may have caused the death of fellow doctor



An anesthesiologist in Plano, Texas, has been arrested after several IV bags containing inappropriate drugs have supposedly been traced to him. Prosecutors allege that one of these bags caused the death of a fellow doctor, and another caused serious complications for at least one other patient.

Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., 59, has been arrested after security footage indicated that, on several occasions, he had tampered with IV bags, which may have caused some of the emergency incidents that arose during otherwise routine surgeries at Baylor Scott & White Surgicare Center throughout the summer.

According to Fox News, Ortiz had been under investigation by the FBI after he was allegedly seen on security cameras placing IV bags into a warmer. The bags were then used during subsequent procedures in which serious complications unexpectedly arose.

Officials investigated the bags and determined that they contained "visible tiny holes in the plastic wrap." They also discovered the presence of bupivacaine, a numbing agent often injected into the spinal cord during surgery to alleviate pain but which can be fatal if injected directly into a vein.

Authorities suspect that such was the case for one of Ortiz's colleagues. On June 21, Dr. Melanie Kaspar, 55, a co-worker at Baylor Scott & White, took a saline bag home to help her rehydrate following an illness. However, almost immediately after she inserted the IV into her vein, she went into severe cardiac distress and died.

Another young man, 18, identified in the filing only as J.A., also had a serious complication develop during a minor sinus surgery on August 24. J.A. had to be intubated and transferred to intensive care. Tests of the saline solution in one the patient's IV bags revealed the presence of bupivacaine, epinephrine, and lidocaine, none of which should have been there, but which could have caused the symptoms.

J.A.'s current condition is unknown.

After the J.A. incident, Baylor Scott & White temporarily suspended its operations, and the Texas Medical Board then suspended Ortiz's medical license on September 9. As the surgical center also experienced an usually high complication rate this summer, investigators are now considering whether those cases can be connected back to Ortiz.

Though none of the complications occurred during any of Ortiz's surgeries, the complaint notes that none of them occurred while he was on vacation either. They all occurred around the time that Ortiz was in the facility or shortly thereafter. The incidents also reportedly began shortly after Ortiz was subjected to a disciplinary inquiry for deviating "from the standard of care."

There have been other charges leveled against him as well. Since 1999, at least three women have accused him of domestic violence, and he was convicted of an unspecified crime after he shot a neighbor's dog in 2015. The dog ultimately survived.

Now, Ortiz has been charged with tampering with a consumer product causing death and intentional drug adulteration. He is expected to appear in federal court on Friday. He faces life in prison if convicted.


A Black Lives Matter Activist Pulling A Gun On Bystanders Should Be The Last Straw For This Destructive Group

To see real change, Americans must stop listening to leftist demagogues and corrupt organizations like Black Lives Matter.

Texas AG blasts 'mob rule,' police chief after angry driver is only person charged when Black Lives Matter militants 'illegally shut down traffic'



Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton blasted "mob rule" and Plano's police chief after an angry driver caught on video confronting Black Lives Matter militants for blocking traffic was the only person charged in Saturday's incident.

What are the details?

After Paxton caught wind of the viral showdown, he issued a statement Monday decrying "a group of radical-left armed agitators and a police chief unwilling to enforce the law."

The Texas AG said that after "a group of militant BLM protesters illegally shut down traffic underneath a major highway," an "Antifa-like character pulled what appears to be a gun and pointed it at the man" who had exited his car "to demand the mob clear the way."

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Paxton added that "rather than disperse the crowd or arrest the lawbreakers, the lone police officer told" the driver who confronted the group to "go away."

More from the AG's statement:

I instructed one of my top deputies to contact the Plano Police Chief to get more details. What he heard paints an even worse picture than the video alone depicts.

First the Chief told my deputy that while the weapon wasn't a pistol, it was, in fact, a "pepper ball gun." In a separate conversation, the Chief claimed it was a "taser." In a recent Facebook post, the department is now saying it was [an] "electronic control device." Whatever it was, the police declined to pursue the leftist who brandished the weapon, and no charges are being pressed against him.

Second, the Chief was anxious to excuse the rioters. "You have to understand the situation," urged the Chief. "We have to negotiate with these people. Do you expect us to mass arrest these protesters? You know that's not going to happen." Most law enforcement officers are ready and willing to uphold law and order. We need them to do that. But too many are held back by politically motivated leaders, crippled by the woke agitators, now aiders and abettors to liberal lunacy.

Here's a clip of the incident. Content warning: Language:

BLM Protestors block road in Plano, TX, get confronted by angry driver youtu.be

Paxton added in his statement that "only one person from this whole incident is being charged with a crime: The one man who told the protesters to go away. Why? For 'assault with contact' because he slapped a person's hand out of his face. No one else is being charged with anything. None of the law-breaking traffic-blockers, not the guy who pulled a weapon — no one!"

The AG ended his statement by saying he'll "never allow our beautiful Texas cities or neighborhoods to become Portland or Seattle or San Francisco because of the unchecked left. I call upon my friends and allies across the state to crack down on this lawlessness immediately. No excuses!"

What did police have to say?

Plano police told WFAA-TV that the object in the protester's hand is an electronic control device, which the station wrote is "commonly known as a Taser."

Police Chief Ed Drain added to WFAA that the device was "purchased without a permit or license, and the person who pointed the device did not commit a criminal offense by doing so."

In the video, the angry motorist appears to attempt to slap a phone out of the hand of one of the protesters. Police said in its statement that "a female reported that she was assaulted by a male who confronted the protestors. Due to the position of the crowd, the officer did not witness the assault. The officer de-escalated the situation by removing the male ... from the crowd ... After speaking with the victim and the suspect, and reviewing video footage of the incident, detectives filed an Assault-by-Contact charge with the Municipal Court against the male suspect," the station reported.

Plano police told WFAA the names of the victim and suspect are not being released over concerns for their safety, and that assault by contact is a class C misdemeanor.

In addition, police told the station that the protesters were asked to disperse after the confrontation and complied. Officers also told them that obstructing traffic is illegal, WFAA reported. Chief Drain added to the station that traffic was held up for for seven minutes.

WATCH: Plano Police Do Nothing While Black Lives Matter Illegally Takes Over City Streets

A video that went viral over the weekend shows a mob of Black Lives Matter protesters in Texas illegally blocking traffic while a police officer stands by.

VIDEO: Angry motorist confronts BLM protesters blocking busy intersection as police officer does nothing



Video of a Texas motorist confronting protesters blocking a busy intersection has gone viral. The video shows a police officer seemingly permit the protesters to block traffic from flowing through the intersection.

What happened?

The video shows a large man storming through backed up traffic to confront Black Lives Matter protesters blocking a busy intersection in Plano, Texas. The incident reportedly took place last Sunday, the Dallas Observer reported.

"Get the f*** out of my way!" the man screamed. "Where's the godd*** cop?" He then found a cop standing by the intersection, who was seemingly allowing the protesters to block traffic.

"Get these f***ing people out of the way!" the man screamed at the cop. "They can't be standing in the middle of the road!"

The protesters then swarmed the man as he squared up to fight. One of the demonstrators, attorney Lee Merritt, attempted to intervene to de-escalate the situation, the Observer reported. As tensions quickly rose, the officer escorted the angered motorist away from the protesters and back toward his car. The video did not show the police officer clear protesters from the intersection.

(Content Warning: Strong language):

Texas Residents At Breaking Point: Citizens angry with BLM protesters blocking traffic. https://t.co/MvITK943UW

— New Granada (@NewGranada1979) 1620426529.0

What are the details?

According to the Dallas Observer, protesters were demonstrating after 26-year-old Marvin Scott III died while in police custody in March. Seven of the eight police officers allegedly involved in Scott's death, which was ruled a homicide, were fired, while the eighth officer has since resigned.

Hava Johnston, who was involved in the protest, said demonstrators were making their way to a nearby Chick-fil-A when they crossed through the intersection and blocked traffic.

Johnston told the Observer the enraged motorist should have been arrested for his actions, claiming a black man would have been.

"The question is: Why wasn't that guy treated the same way that a person of color would have been treated?" she said.

The Plano Police Department has not publicly addressed the incident.