A veterinarian who has been disciplined multiple times by state regulators and had her license revoked in 2019 is facing related criminal charges in Washington County.
Cynthia Cole Teer, who owns and operates Machias Animal Hospital, is facing two Class E misdemeanor charges of unlicensed practice of veterinary medicine in Machias Unified Criminal Court. She is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on the charges, each of which carries a potential punishment of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
A spokesperson for the Maine attorney general’s office confirmed Thursday that state prosecutors are pursuing the criminal charges against Teer, but did not provide additional details about the case.
It is not clear if Teer has a defense attorney in the matter. She did not respond to a voicemail message left Thursday at Machias Animal Hospital.
In September 2019, the Maine State Board of Veterinary Medicine revoked Teer’s license after it previously had placed Teer on probation in May of that same year. Her license had expired in January 2018, but Teer continued to treat patients and practice veterinary medicine despite not having an active license.
In October 2018, Teer reached a consent agreement with the board and the attorney general’s office in which she “admitted to practicing without a license and engaging in actions that amounted to gross negligence, incompetence, misconduct and/or violations of the code of ethics or the standard of practice for veterinarians,” according to a judge who considered a petition from Teer to review her license revocation.
The judge, who upheld the board’s decision, said that as part of the October 2018 consent agreement Teer “was reprimanded, required to pay a $10,000 civil penalty and placed on probation for 5 years.”
Teer had been unable to renew her license in January 2018 because she had failed to comply with the terms of a previous probation the board had imposed on her in January 2014.