JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville police on Wednesday morning arrested a 56-year-old man on a charge of practicing dentistry without a license.
Jose Vicenty was taken into custody at his home in East Arlington and booked just before 11 a.m. Wednesday into the Duval County jail, where he’s being held on $75,000 bond, according to online jail records.
A Florida Department of Health spokesperson said a joint operation between DOH and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was conducted at Vicenty’s residence on Kernan Forest Boulevard, where an undercover JSO detective was recently offered dentistry services by Vicenty -- including conducting an X-ray and an extraction of the detective’s teeth.
The DOH spokesperson said an X-ray machine, an autoclave, a variety of dental equipment and tools, and dental orders and prescriptions were discovered Wednesday at Vicenty’s residence. The department said it issued Vicenty a notice to cease and desist for practicing dentistry without a license and JSO arrested him on the charge of practicing dentistry without a license.
News4Jax visited Vicenty’s listed address on Wednesday. Someone could be heard yelling inside the home. A request for comment was declined.
Nick Jones, a neighbor, said he saw when police arrived.
“Obviously, it’s not supposed to happen in our neighborhood. We really don’t want that to be here," he said.
Records show Vicenty was arrested on the same charge in 2009. In that case, after checking with the Florida Department of Health and learning Vicenty had no license to practice, JSO sent an officer to Vicenty undercover, complaining about a tooth problem and wearing a wire, according to Duval County court documents.
The Sheriff’s Office said it also found almost 100 pages of what appeared to be appointment logs, with names and amounts of money either charged or paid. Records show Vicenty pleaded no contest and served a year and a half in prison. The 2009 arrest report mentions another arrest on a charge of practicing without a license in 1998.
On Thursday morning, Vicenty made his first appearance on the new charge. His arraignment was set for March 26.
The state Department of Health said the Unlicensed Activity Unit of the Division of Medical Quality Assurance in Florida has a dedicated hotline (1-877-HALT-ULA) and a dedicated email address (haltula@flhealth.gov) to report violations. People can also verify the license of their providers at http://www.flhealthsource.gov/.