Mom: Daughter suffered brain injury after visit to dentist office

Tuesday, July 25, 2017
SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- A former dentist is in law enforcement custody after being charged Monday in a bodily injury case.

Dr. Bethaniel Jefferson, DDS, is accused of "intentionally and knowingly by omission" causing serious injury to 4-year-old Nevaeh Clark who suffered brain damage while in her chair.

Authorities said Jefferson turned herself in to law enforcement sometime after 2 p.m.

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A grand jury indicted Jefferson in the incident that happened last year, the Harris County District Attorney's Office announced Monday.

The little girl was having a tooth pulled last year when her family said she suffered severe brain damage.

Nevaeh's mother, Courissa Clark, said her daughter was given too many sedatives that caused her to go into respiratory distress. Nevaeh was left without the ability to talk, walk, eat or even see.

"She used to be full of life," Courissa Clark said. "She was very happy, very outgoing and she was a people person."

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The DA's office said Clark suffered a seizure, and Jefferson didn't call 911 for hours.

State records revealed Jefferson was suspended from practicing by the Texas Board of Dental Examiners after the incident.

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