Practicing veterinarian medicine without license
Nampa, ID (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2006
County: Canyon
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available
Alleged: James Gary Boldt
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
A man well known in Bingham County for pretending to be a veterinarian now has been arrested in Nampa for pretending to be doing the same thing. A business owner hired 53-year old James Gary Boldt as a veterinarian. And she admits she hired him without checking his credentials. It's not the first time he's faked his career.
Boldt's record starts in Bingham County. Back in 1996--he was charged with practicing medicine without a license, selling prescriptions without a license and possession of drugs with the intent to use. In 2000--he's charged with felony possession of a firearm. And in 2002--he's charged with three separate counts of practicing veterinarian medicine without a license.
Now--he's charged in Canyon County with illegal possession of a controlled substance--practicing veterinary medicine without a license and cruelty to animals. Three dogs and a horse died in Boldt's care. The deaths are only misdemeanors in the state of Idaho - the most time he faces for practicing on animals without a license - 6 months in jail.
Case Updates| Boldt recently failed to appear for a trial date and now has a bench warrant out for his arrest. He has apparently fled, possibly out of state. | | Update posted on Oct 23, 2006 - 8:10AM |
The 2nd Street Boulevard Animal Health Clinic took over a building previously occupied by another veterinary clinic. Signs for the old clinic still adorn the exterior walls and reader board out front. However, the newest resident made some fatal mistakes, which could shut the clinic down and has made several pet owners think twice before trusting their local vet.
"Once you get a good dog it's hard to replace it, Inca was a good dog," said Mark Neil of his daughter's eight-month-old yellow lab Inca. Neil took Inca to the Nampa clinic on a Friday to get spayed, a common outpatient procedure. However, Neil says when he returned that evening to pick the dog up, the clinic said they wanted to hold the dog overnight. Then Neil says he couldn't contact the staff or get a straight answer to what was wrong until Monday, when they delivered surprising news.
"I called the clinic and was told the dog had just died at that point," said Neil. Neil says they told him the dog had an infection, but when his wife, who is training to become a registered nurse, questioned the validity of those claims, Neil started investigating. What he found out surprised him. "This person did not have a license to practice veterinary medicine in the state of Idaho," said Lt. Craig Kingsbury with Nampa Police, who received Neil's complaints and joined with the DEA to do an investigation of the clinic and it's lone "doctor".
As it turns out, the clinician, James Gary Boldt, was not a veterinarian at all, and had previously served time in an Idaho prison for practicing medicine without a license in Bingham County, something his business partner and owner of the clinic, Kelly Ralls, says she didn't realize.
After only 40 days in business, she says Boldt has ruined the clinic, which now only does grooming and boarding. She says she also didn't realize Idaho law prevents anyone who isn't a licensed veterinarian from owning a clinic or hiring on doctors. Even so, she says she's learned a lot. "If you're going to have anything to do with a veterinarian, take the time to call the [Idaho] Veterinary Board and make sure he is one, I was duped," she said. The police agree that Boldt was a great con man. "He actually signed it as Dr. Gary," said Neil, showing CBS 2 News the vet bill detailing Inca's procedures, with the signature at the bottom. "This person was able to trick this business partner into believing he had veterinary license, obviously had some knowledge of the field and was able to fool several people," said Kingsbury. But Neil isn't convinced Ralls is an innocent victim. "All it took me was one phone call to find out he was a fraud and had killed animals before in the same circumstances," he said.
But Ralls insists she was unaware, even claiming that Boldt treated one of her horses that later died inexplicably. "Myself nor the clinic nor anybody that's worked here had anything to do with what this man did, and I want to be first in the pew at his trial," Ralls said, noting that she felt Boldt was so convincing in his act because he was delusional, "I think in his mind he truly believes he's a veterinarian."
But even his belief couldn't save Inca, or ease the sorrow of Neil's daughter. "I take [the dog] into town one day and then I can't bring her home to my daughter, that's the worst part," said Neil. The family got the dog for free as a Christmas gift for their daughter, but asked Ralls to compensate them with another dog or a monetary equivalent. Ralls says she would rather get another dog for the family, but so far no exchange has been arranged.
As for Boldt, the Animal Cruelty charges are only a misdemeanor, and that has raised questions about Idaho's laws being too lax.
"If only because of the drug charge is he going to face any felonies out of this, it sounds like you could open up a clinic and start operating on animals and just get citations for it," said an exasperated Neil. "It's not something that the local police department goes around and checks up on," added Kingsbury, saying the Police Department has a full plate as it is.
However, Boldt also faces charges of Possession of Controlled Substances since he had medicine he was not qualified to possess and Practicing without a Medical License. Police say Boldt could have treated more than 50 patients in the time he was at the clinic. If your pet may be one of them you're urged to contact Nampa Police. You may also contact the CBS 2 Newsroom at 472-2207. | Source: KBCIty News - June 19, 2006
Update posted on Jun 29, 2006 - 10:59PM |
The owner of an animal health business that allowed an unlicensed veterinarian to perform surgeries on dogs should not have been operating her store as a clinic in the first place. However, she is not the one facing charges. The Board of Veterinary Medicine says she is a victim too. "I have had a few phone calls saying I should have known better." Says Kelly Ralls, owner of Second Street Boulevard Animal Health. She went on to say that she feels duped, after she let an unlicensed veterinarian work on animals at her business.
Nampa police say 53-year-old James Gary Boldt was acting as a vet at the clinic without a license. Police became aware of it late last month after Mark Neil reported that his dog died after a spaying performed by Boldt. "Its her business and the ultimate responsibility should go back on her," says Neil. Ralls says she should have known better, "I met this man, we became friends, he introduced himself as a veterinarian, he acted like a veterinarian, he bought veterinarian supplies at veterinary stores. Nobody questioned him, so I didn't either." Ralls wanted to operate her business as a veterinary clinic. The Board of Veterinary Medicine says she will not likely face charges, but that her first mistake was not realizing she could not open such a business, unless she, herself, was an actual vet. She says her second mistake, was believing Boldt, "I can see how she was taken in by him."
A woman who did not want her face or last name revealed, says she knew Boldt though her cousin when he lived in the Blackfoot area. That was back in the mid '90s when he was charged with practicing medicine without a license. Later, in 2002, he was charged with three separate counts of practicing veterinary medicine without a license. "He is charming, but at the same time very conniving about it all," says the woman. "He uses that to manipulate you. He could tell you he owned the Atlantic Ocean and in about five minutes he could have somebody believing it."
Boldt faces new charges including practicing veterinary medicine without a license and cruelty to animals. And, Ralls says one of her horses died, and another is damaged for life after she let Boldt treat them. Now, she is worried Boldt handled other pets outside of her store, "If this man has worked on any of their animals please take them to a veterinarian." Boldt was released from jail on pretrial release.
If you have questions on a vet, the Idaho Board of Veterinary Medicine can tell you if they have a license. | Source: KTVB News - June 20, 2006
Update posted on Jun 29, 2006 - 10:22PM |
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