Tom Wilemon

twilemon@tennessean.com

A state licensing board suspended the medical license of Dr. Brett Bolton by emergency order Tuesday after the Brentwood hair transplant surgeon proclaimed he was Jesus Christ and exhibited other bizarre behavior while refusing psychiatric help.

The turn of events began with him doing website posts claiming to be the Son of God, and then became more dangerous when he traveled to New York and allegedly attacked a man at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

“Dr. Bolton’s staff had been noticing changes in his behavior — him doing strange things like believing he was Jesus Christ, dressing all in white and asking everybody if God asked them to kill someone would they do that,” said Devin M. Wells, an attorney for the Tennessee Department of Health.

In suspending his license, members of the Tennessee Board of Osteopathic Examination expressed concerns about Bolton being a threat to himself and to others.

Employees of the doctor notified state officials in September about his behavior. Bolton saw a psychiatrist on Sept. 15, who recommended he be hospitalized, but Bolton refused, Wells said.

Ken Jones, an investigator for the state’s health-related boards met with Bolton’s office staff and then with the doctor at his home on Sept. 16.

Jones described Bolton as being in a manic state.

“His speech was so rapid I had trouble understanding what he would tell me,” Jones said.

The next day, Bolton left for New York where he wound up in the psychiatric ward of Bellevue Hospital for two weeks after attacking the man at the museum and then challenging police officers to arrest him. Bolton said he knocked out a man coming out of a restroom stall after receiving a message from God the man was a pedophile, according to Jones.

The doctor was admitted to the New York hospital on Sept. 18. But the hospital could not keep him there against his will.

Jones said he conducted a followup visit with Bolton at his home on Oct. 27. This time, the doctor did not exhibit manic behavior, but one of his feet was grossly swollen and bruised.

“It looked like a foot that was badly fractured,” Jones said.

Just above the ankle on his other leg, the doctor had a swollen bruise the size of a tennis ball, he said. Bolton explained he had injured himself falling off his deck, Jones said. The doctor told Jones he was in pain but not taking any medications.

Bolton, who also has a hair transplant center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had never notified Tennessee officials of a federal conviction in that state on 19 counts of misapplying money in a case that involved a tribal casino. Ohio, where he also had held a medical license, revoked that privilege in 2003 because of the federal conviction.

“Quite frankly, we weren’t aware of that,” Wells said. “We became aware of it during this investigation.”

However, the emergency action by the board was taken solely on the basis of Bolton’s behavior. The board may take other actions later, but first Bolton has seven days to challenge the suspension.

Reach Tom Wilemon at 615-726-5961 and on Twitter @TomWilemon.