Former Capitals chiropractor pleads guilty, avoids jail time
Douglas Owen Nagel avoided jail time Tuesday after pleading guilty to misdemeanor drug possession charges in a Bartow, Fla., courtroom, a development his attorney said proved the former chiropractor was not distributing steroids to any professional athletes.
Nagel, who treated several members of the Washington Capitals, received three years probation and Polk County Circuit Judge Mark Hofstad withheld adjudication, meaning Nagel will have no conviction on his record if he successfully completes his probation.
Nagel, 50, was arrested in March on felony drug charges after a now-convicted drug dealer in central Florida claimed Nagel purchased drugs from him and boasted of distributing them to players on the Capitals and Washington Nationals.
"The presumption that other people were involved in receiving these substances proved not to be the case," said Nagel's attorney, Luke Lirot. "It was a lie. . . . [The steroids] were only for personal use."
Around the time of the arrest, Florida law enforcement and federal drug officials questioned several Capitals players and searched Nagel's office, located near the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at the time there was no hard evidence connecting any players to steroid sales. Judd was not available to comment Tuesday.
Chip Thullbery, a spokesman for the state attorney's office in Polk County, said prosecutors had not ruled out the possibility that Nagel, who pleaded guilty on eight possession counts, had distributed drugs, but the terms of the plea deal suggest "it certainly is a possibility" that he did not. Assistant state attorney Brad Copley handled the case.
Nagel will have to complete 200 hours of community service and complete a drug counseling program, Thullbery said.
"We are satisfied we have gotten Dr. Nagel's attention," Thullbery said. "We believe he has suffered financially . . . this is an appropriate outcome for this case."
Nagel obtained at least seven shipments of steroids and other drugs from Richard "Andy" Thomas of Lakeland, Fla., between April 2008 and May 2009, Polk County law enforcement officials alleged in March. In June, Thomas, 39, was sentenced to eight months in jail and three years of probation for possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids.
Nagel has been trying to preserve his license to practice as a chiropractor in Virginia, Lirot said, and hoped his cooperation with investigators and favorable outcome of the charges against him would help.
"The accusations alone have created a chilling effect on his relationship with any sports teams for the time being," Lirot said.
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