Local News in Brief : Charge Refiled in Patient’s Death
An involuntary manslaughter charge was refiled Monday against a West Hollywood dentist whose patient slipped into a coma and died while under anesthesia.
Dr. William G. Miller, 31, was originally charged last November, but Municipal Judge Lourdes Baird dismissed the case at a preliminary hearing in July, ruling that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the dentist had acted with gross negligence in the death of West Hollywood resident Jody Safier, 27, who went to Miller’s office to have her wisdom teeth extracted on Sept. 4, 1986.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Bob Dawson said he refiled the charges after developing additional evidence that would help prove gross negligence on Miller’s part. “We’ve shored up the case regarding his history and the techniques that he used,” Dawson said.
If convicted, Miller could be sentenced to up to four years in state prison.
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