Man At Center Of Dental Dungeon Bonds Out
MIAMI (CBS4) – A Miami man accused of running an illegal dental clinic out of his home bonded out of jail early Thursday morning.
Humberto Perez, 81, along with his wife Maria Perez, 69, and their daughter Odalis Hernandez-Perez, 41, were arrested Wednesday.
Hernandez-Perez faces a child neglect charge while her parents face a number of charges including performing dental services, child abuse and child neglect.
Perez and Hernandez-Perez bonded out of jail late Wednesday night.
"I feel really bad because my daughter is suffering and she's going to stay suffering," said Claribel Agramonte whose 14-year old daughter is permanently disfigured after undergoing dental procedures in the Perez home.
Agramonte brought her daughter to them to fix a chipped tooth. Instead of repairing it, Perez injected a syringe of prescription medication into her mouth to help, then immediately started filing down her teeth, according to his arrest affidavit.
That's when, according to the affidavit, the girl told Perez she felt uncontrollable pain.
According to the statement, Perez continued with the dental procedure anyway.
"My daughter was crying all the time and they didn't stop," said Agramonte. "They just gave her more anesthesia. I feel really bad because my daughter is suffering and she's going to stay suffering."
Agramonte said the painful procedure went from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
"Because I heard my daughter crying and crying, I couldn't take it anymore," she said. "I had to go outside so I couldn't hear it anymore. I hope no other family goes through what we went through."
The arrest affidavit for Perez's daughter claims the 41-year-old told her dad, "Dad, I hate when you work on children. They always put on a show with the crying."
The girl lost four teeth during two visits to the office and left with an infection that caused her teeth to separate from her gums, leaving them permanently disfigured.
"She's left horribly disfigured," said Miami police Major David Magnusson. "She had to go to a legitimate dentist who happened to make the claim that in his 37 odd years of practicing dentistry he never saw anything quite as horrid.
Detectives believe there may be additional victims that have yet to come forward. It's not known how long the illegal clinic had been operating.
To report unlicensed activities, contact the Florida Department of Health at 1-800-HALT ULA (425-8852).
