No bond for accused dog hoarder, elder abuser

Geoffrey Peterson is charged with animal cruelty in Sequatchie County.
Geoffrey Peterson is charged with animal cruelty in Sequatchie County.
photo Geoffrey Peterson who is charged with animal cruelty in Sequatchie County.

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Attorney of accused animal hoarder seeks dying dad's statement

Geoffrey Deane Peterson will be held in jail without bond until his next court date on April 28, according to the Sequatchie Circuit Court.

Peterson, 55, is accused of abusing his elderly father, hoarding more than 60 animals in squalid conditions and using his license as a nurse practitioner to prescribe copious amounts of narcotics.

He turned himself in to the Sequatchie County sheriff on Monday. He had skipped out on a $10,000 bond that stemmed from his Dec. 19 arrest, when authorities raided his feces-filled home in Dunlap and found dozens of animals in poor condition.

Peterson's attorney, Dan Warlick, did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story Friday.

After the initial raid in December, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in January raided a pair of medical clinics in Hixson that Peterson ran as a licensed nurse practitioner. Former patients said Peterson was running "pill mills" out of the clinics -- prescribing powerful narcotics for nonmedical reasons.

DEA officials in Chattanooga would not confirm the nature of the investigation, but resident agent in charge Brad Byerly said Friday the federal investigation was still active and ongoing.

After the raids, Peterson's medical license was suspended under an emergency order by the Tennessee Board of Nursing. The order of suspension listed 17 reasons why Peterson presents an "extreme and untenable danger to his patients and the public of Tennessee."

Authorities also searched a Hixson home connected to Peterson, and they found the man's 88-year-old father, Walter, in poor condition. Peterson was charged with willful abuse and neglect of an elder on Jan. 23, but authorities could not find him to book him until he turned himself in.

Contact staff reporter Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas.

Timeline of Geoffery Peterson investigation

* Dec. 19, 2014: Geoffery Deane Peterson is arrested after officers with the Sequatchie County Sheriff's Department found 58 animals, including dogs, cats, a pigeon and a goat, inside the home where he was living in Dunlap, Tenn. * Dec. 20: An officer with McKamey Animal Services found three emaciated dogs in the exam rooms at Holistic Health and Primary Care, where Peterson saw patients. * Dec. 23: McKamey officers removed seven more emaciated dogs from a home in Chattanooga that had been linked to Peterson. * Jan. 12, 2015: The Tennessee Department of Health sent an investigator to Peterson's hormone replacement clinic after receiving a complaint on Peterson's license. But Peterson locked the doors of the clinic and refused to let the investigator inside. On the same day, the investigator tried to speak to Peterson's father, Walter Peterson, at a home in Hixson. Before the investigator left his car, Geoffery Peterson arrived, banged on the car and demanded the investigator leave. * Jan. 15: Chattanooga police officers attempted to check on Walter Peterson but Geoffery Peterson refused to let the officers into the home. * Jan. 12 - Jan. 23: Adult Protective Services attempted to check on Walter Peterson on three different occasions during this time frame. * Jan. 23: DEA agents raid Peterson's two clinics and a home connected to him. Former patients say Peterson ran a pill mill. * Jan. 23: Multiple agencies execute a warrant to search Walter Peterson's home. His father is found in poor condition and is taken to a hospital. Peterson's wife, 88-year-old Sheila Peterson, is arrested and charged with willful abuse or neglect of an elder. A warrant is issued for Peterson on the same charge. * Jan. 27: The Tennessee Board of Nursing suspends Geoffery Peterson's nursing license in an emergency order. * March 2: Peterson turns himself in to the Sequatchie County sheriff with his attorney.

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