LE FLORE COUNTY, Okla. — Two men from Wister, Oklahoma were arrested in October of 2020 and accused of performing unlawful surgery on a male victim's genitalia, according to the LeFlore County Sheriff's Office.
Thomas Evans Gates, 42, and Bobby Lee Allen, 53, were booked at the LeFlore County Jail for a slew of charges.
Their charges include:
- Medical Battery
- Maiming
- Aggravated Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon Resulting in Great Bodily Injury
- Conspiracy
- Desecration of a Human Member
- Outraging Public Decency with Gross Injury
- Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substance/Paraphernalia
They were arrested while trying to visit the victim in the hospital, according to LeFlore County Sheriff Rodney Derryberry.
The crime allegedly took place on Oct. 14, 2020.
LeFlore County deputies were dispatched to the McAlester Regional Health Center where they found a victim who said he had a medical procedure done by the two men.
Investigators say the surgery was unlawful because the men are not doctors and do not have medical licenses.
Sheriff Derryberry says the two men drove the victim to the hospital.
On Oct. 15, the sheriff's office obtained a warrant to search the suspects' home in Wister. There they found evidence on multiple storage devices that those types of surgeries were being performed, according to Sheriff Derryberry.
The victim had surgery on his genitalia, but investigators would not confirm the point of the "so-called" surgeries this early in the investigation.
The suspects were not home at the time the warrant was executed, but both Allen and Gates were at the McAlester hospital trying to visit the victim. McAlester police officers arrested both suspects, according to Sheriff Derryberry.
Sheriff Derryberry says as of right now it is unclear if the suspects were accepting payments to perform the "so-called" surgeries. Although, police have discovered a website where people can pay a membership to view documents. It's another piece of the investigation.
“Ya know, I can’t say it’s cult activity. It is something that we’ve never in my career run across in this part of the country," Sheriff Derryberry said.
There are no other victims of unlawful surgeries from the men, at this time.
According to court records filed Friday (Aug. 6) in LeFlore County Court, Gates was supposed to face trial on Monday (Aug. 9) but pleaded guilty Friday. No trial will be held.
Please check back for updates to this developing story.