Case finally closed for Teflon Doc?

The sad saga of a former Evans gynecologist appears, fortunately, to be at an end.

Word has filtered our way that Jerry Jackson Lee II, whose latest practice was in Hazelhurst, Ga., has voluntarily surrendered his license to the Georgia Composite State Board of Medical Examiners.

The board suspended Lees license earlier this year after a raft of allegations that Lee was abusing prescription drugs and behaving erratically, among other things. In August, Lee gave up his license.

Its a fitting finish to a sorry story about a man we dubbed the Teflon Doc because of his knack for getting out of trouble. Lee, who left a middle Georgia practice with charges of malpractice hanging over him, whirled into Evans and set up a new business; his wife, Kandace, set up an adjoining maternity-wear shop.

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Both businesses shut down when Lee was arrested for beating up his wife. She recanted her allegations after he was released on bond, however, and despite overwhelming evidence Lee was acquitted on two felony charges and convicted only on a misdemeanor. (Kandace Lee recently returned to court and succeeded in getting a judge to seal records from the case, including photographs of injuries she claimed were self-inflicted.)

Lee bounced from Evans to Mississippi, and then down to Hazelhurst where he opened the Magnolia Womens Center. That gig lasted only a few months before the licensing board suspended Lees license; its investigation of Lee turned up page after page of allegations of prescription drug abuse, mostly involving powerful painkillers. For example, one charge in the report says Lee even helped himself to a patients Demerol, injecting the patient and then shooting up with a dose of his own right in front of her. Bizarre.

According to licensing board spokesman Angel Crossley, If a physician voluntarily surrenders his license, it is a permanent status, but they can apply for reinstatement whenever they decide to but cannot reapply for two years if denied.

If Lee eventually seeks reinstatement, the board should take a long, hard look at his background before taking any claims to rehabilitation seriously. And perhaps Lee should try another line of work.