Florida dentist was accused of abandoning patients. He just turned up in jail

Patients say sudden disappearance cost them thousands

A Florida orthodontist who seemed to go missing, leaving patients owing thousands on incomplete dental procedures, has turned up in a county jail.

Manuel Alejandro Gutierrez-Rodriguez was arrested on 24 March and sent to Pinellas County jail for violating the conditions of his probation related to a 2022 reckless driving conviction, WFLA reports.

Patients of Mr Gutierrez-Rodriguez say his sudden disappearance left them in the lurch. The doctor’s Tampa clinic was seen with mail piling up behind the front door, and its website is offline.

Traci Hillring was in the middle of a $5,000 procedure for teeth straightening when Mr Gutierrez-Rodriguez disappeared, forcing her to find another provider and pay an extra $2,500.

“It’s frustrating. I was hoping to be done with this,” she told WFLA. “Hoping to stop making payments toward [my treatment} and moving on without having to wear trays every day would be nice.”

She said she’s hoping the orthodontist can “offer some sort of refund.”

The Independent has contacted Mr Gutierrez-Rodriguez’s lawyer for comment.

Another patient, Carlos Jimenez, told the Tampa Bay Times he paid $5,200 for custom teeth alignment.

“When I called him, his assistants gave me excuses,” he said. “Sometimes they told me that they didn’t have the proper materials or the distributors were late with the orders.”

More than a dozen patients have gotten together on social media and are demanding a refund, the paper reports.