Background: St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia, Ga. (Google Maps). Inset: Steven Muscoreil (Franklin County Sheriff's Office).
A Georgia surgeon allegedly attacked a patient he operated on after they had a phone call about her procedure.
Steven Muscoreil was working as a general surgeon at St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia, a small town in northeast Georgia, on Jan. 8 when he spoke with one of his patients over the phone about a procedure that took place earlier that day. According to an incident report obtained by local NBC affiliate WYFF, the patient told police that during their conversation, Muscoreil "became angry and raised his voice at her" after she expressed concerns about the procedure she had undergone.
Muscoreil then came into her hospital room where she was recovering and allegedly "charged toward her in an aggressive manner as if he was going to strike her." Two nurses nearby told police they witnessed the alleged altercation, during which Muscoreil "got into [the patient's] face, and began yelling." One of the nurses told police that the surgeon's yelling could be heard from the hallway.
When the police spoke with the nurses, they corroborated the patient's story about Muscoreil's allegedly aggressive behavior. One of the nurses told police that she physically intervened by pushing him away from the bedridden patient.
Precise details about what was discussed during the conversation between the patient and Muscoreil were not provided.
Muscoreil was arrested and charged with simple assault. He was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center.
In a statement to local Fox affiliate WHNS, St. Mary's Health Care System said that Muscoreil was not an employee at St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital and was no longer providing medical services there.