The Western North Carolina doctor charged with 16 felony counts of human trafficking and sexual offenses has a history of disciplinary violations and drug use, including probation by the medical licensing authority in Florida, according to medical board documents.
The Florida Department of Health filed a complaint against Dr. Thomas Vann Clayton with the board in March 1999, five years after he was licensed by the Florida Board, according to documents filed by the board.
In the complaint, the Department alleges Clayton prescribed excessive amounts of drugs and failed to maintain adequate medical records. The complaint listed alleged violations involving 17 patients, including prescribing percocet, demerol, lortab and xanax without documenting adequate physicals, medical histories or treatment plans.
Clayton was terminated from the River Oaks Medical Group in Live Oaks, Florida, in 1997 for overprescribing controlled substances, according to the complaint.
In a consent order Clayton signed with the Board of Medicine in February 2001, he “neither admitted or denied the allegations of fact” in the complaint.
The order placed him on probation for five years, stating if Clayton wanted to practice in the state, he had to do so under the "indirect supervision of a Board-approved physician." The supervising doctor was required to meet with Clayton weekly, review his records and submit reports to the board about his work.
He was also obligated to complete a course about prescribing abusable drugs and to participate in the Florida Physicians Recovery Network, a program for medical practitioners with substance abuse issues.
Less than six months later, in June 2001, the North Carolina Medical Board issued Clayton a temporary license allowing him to practice in the state through September.
At the same time, Clayton entered a consent order with the North Carolina Board. In the order, he admitted to abusing and depending on opiates and benzodiazepines. The consent order did not address any allegations of wrongdoing in Florida and did not mention any disciplinary action by the Florida Board. Neither the consent order in North Carolina nor the temporary license required any supervision by another physician.
After completing a three-month in-patient substance abuse program, Clayton said he remained clean and sober, according to the filing. Under the order, he agreed to participate in the North Carolina Physicians Health Program a nonprofit organization that helps medical professionals with substance abuse issues.
The North Carolina licensure website indicates Clayton had a “restricted license” in Florida dated July 1, 2000, but does not provide details on the restrictions.
The Florida board issued a disciplinary citation in June 2003 for a failure to complete continuing medical education course. Clayton signed the notice which cited him with a $625 charge for penalties and fees.
The NC Board issued two additional temporary licenses to Clayton — one in September 2001 that expired in March 2002 and one in March 2002 which was set to expire April 30, 2002.
On April 17, 2002, one year after the probationary order in Florida, Clayton received a full and unrestricted license from the North Carolina Medical Board. In May 2002, the North Carolina Board lifted the requirements of the consent order, stating it was “no longer necessary to ensure it (the Board) and the people of North Carolina that Dr. Clayton can safely practice medicine.”
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Clayton on March 20 after a grand jury indicted him on three counts of human trafficking, four counts of first-degree forcible sexual offense, and nine counts of sexual contact or penetration under pretext of medical treatment, according to a press release from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
Clayton served as chief of staff of Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital prior to his first arrest on March 3, 2023. When asked about his history, Erlanger officials said they "do not comment on ongoing legal matters." Clayton is on administrative leave without pay until further notice, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Erlanger Health System is facing a federal whistleblower suit accusing hospital leaders of illegal billing practices, according to The Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Clayton first received a medical license from North Carolina in 1987, and it became inactive in 1998, according to documents from the North Carolina Medical Board.
Clayton was previously licensed in two other states. He was issued a medical license issued by the Iowa Board of Medicine in 1984 that he relinquished in 2015. The Iowa medical license site listed him as inactive at the time. He was licensed by the state of Tennessee from 1986 to 1996 when his license expired, according to the state’s Department of Health website. The Iowa and Tennessee Boards do not list any disciplinary matters related to Clayton.
