A Florida surgeon was charged in his wife’s death after she went into cardiac arrest on his operating table and he hesitated to call 911, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's office.
Benjamin Brown, 41, was arrested Monday on a homicide and negligent manslaughter charge, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
Deputies responded to the Restore Plastic Surgery clinic in Gulf Breeze on Nov. 21, 2023 for a medical emergency. Benjamin Brown was operating on Hillary Brown, who became unresponsive and began having a seizure while receiving multiple procedures.
She was taken to a hospital where she was put on life support, according to the sheriff's office. She died a week later.
"After an extensive investigation in conjunction with the District One Medical Examiner’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office, our detectives requested a warrant for the arrest of Dr. Benjamin Brown," the sheriff's office said.
In May, the Florida Department of Health filed a document requesting the restriction of Benjamin Brown's medical license in the state. According to the health department, Benjamin Brown was performing a scar revision, arm liposuction, lip injection and ear adjustment procedures on Hillary Brown on Nov. 21, 2023. Hillary Brown allegedly prepared her own IV bags and took a "handful of multi-colored pills" including Valium ahead of the procedures.
Benjamin Brown did not document the contents of the IV bag accurately, and the pills were not documented at all, per the health department.
Hillary Brown also assisted in her own procedures by suturing her skin back together. It's not clear if she has any medical training. Hillary can be seen featured on the Restore Plastic Surgery clinic's Facebook page a few times, including in one post where she can be seen in medical scrubs.
Hillary Brown became restless and her feet began twitching during a portion of procedures, per the health department. She also told her husband that her vision started to blur and that she saw orange.
"Restlessness, muscle twitches, and blurred vision are all early signs of lidocaine toxicity," the health department said in the document.
Witnesses told the sheriff's office that even after Hillary Brown began showing signs of an overdose, he "continued injecting unknown amounts of Lidocaine and did not stop until the victim went into a seizure and cardiac arrest," per an arrest warrant.
When a medical assistant asked Benjamin Brown if they should call 911, he said "no" or "wait," the health department said. An employee told the sheriff's office that he was asked "several times" if he wanted them to call 911, but he said "he wanted to try and do it himself," according to the arrest warrant.
It wasn't until about 10 to 20 minutes after her seizure that Benjamin Brown asked an assistant to call 911, per the health department.
Hillary Brown was taken to a trauma center by emergency responders "with an elevated lactic acid level and suspected lidocaine toxicity." She never regained consciousness and died on Nov. 28, 2023.
Benjamin Brown was arrested for second degree felony homicide and manslaughter by culpable negligence. He was booked into the Santa Rosa County Detention Facility Monday and released on $50,000 bond the same day, per online records.
His attorney, Barry Beroset, told NBC News, “Dr. Brown intends to plead not guilty and vigorously fight the allegations against him in court.” An arraignment is scheduled for July 11, according to online records.
Restore Plastic Surgery is listed as "permanently closed" on Google.
