Nurse speaks out after charges dropped in Spring unlicensed Botox case
SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- A nurse accused of illegally administering Botox injections has been cleared of criminal charges.
Michelle Bogle, a licensed vocational nurse, was arrested last November and charged with unlawfully practicing medicine. Houston police alleged she and her medical director, Dr. Paula Springer-Bryant, illegally administered injectables by not following proper protocols. But on Friday, a Harris County grand jury did not indict her.
RELATED: Nurse accused of unlicensed Botox injections at Spring spa
"I was very excited. Actually, I never had a doubt. The truth is, I was not guilty," Bogle said in an exclusive interview with ABC13 Eyewitness News.
Also, no-billed was Springer-Bryant. Bogle agreed to an interview because she says she wants people to know the truth about what happened.
"I don't want to rub it in anybody's face, but I'm just glad what happened just shows we weren't doing anything wrong," she said.
Bogle was arrested at her business, Savvy Chic Med Spa in Spring. Her mugshot was circulated. She says she and her family were evicted and she lost business.
"I think it was very far-reaching and a waste of taxpayer dollars to spend all this money to do an undercover sting," she said.
Her arrest was the beginning of a crackdown by police on workers at Houston med spas. Bogle says the law can be confusing and needs clarification on who can inject and how involved a doctor needs to be. A modified law has been proposed at the legislature. Until then, Bogle asks the police to be careful.
"If there are unsafe med spas out there delivering non-FDA approved products or unlicensed people and they don't have protocols or physicians, yes, they do need to be closed down and need to answer for that," Bogle said. "But how are we going to handle it? I don't think plucking nurses out and splashing them on the news is the route."
In response, HPD spokesperson Kese Smith told Eyewitness News, "Before anyone is arrested and booked into jail, the district attorney's office makes the decision whether to accept charges and what those charges will be. It's not HPD working in a vacuum. This is done in consultation with the district attorney's office. There are checks and balances"
Statement from Harris County District Attorney's Office:
"We understand why police want to file these sorts of cases and the impact they can have on society. Having said that, when officers present cases, our charging decisions are based on initial facts, and prosecutors can do additional work to clarify questions about the evidence and the law - and as is required in all potential felonies, make a presentation to a grand jury, which determines whether and indictment is warranted."
