Psychiatrist Linked to Producer Is Accused of DUI

A Los Angeles psychiatrist under investigation on charges of overprescribing drugs to the late filmmaker Don Simpson was arrested over the weekend on charges of driving under the influence of an intoxicant.

Dr. Nomi J. Fredrick was taken into custody by Los Angeles police Saturday afternoon after hitting two cars in less than four hours. Fredrick failed a field sobriety test and appeared to be so intoxicated that officers at the scene said she had to “catch herself from falling several times,” according to a police report.

Tests detected no alcohol on Fredrick’s breath, but a police drug recognition expert said she appeared to be under the influence of a central nervous system stimulant, the report said. Results from a drug test given to Fredrick will not be available until next week.

Fredrick, released from jail Saturday after posting $500 bail, did not return calls Monday seeking comment. Her attorney, Harland Braun, said he was awaiting the results from the drug test and will investigate the possibility that Fredrick had suffered a concussion.

Both traffic accidents occurred on Olympic Boulevard just minutes from where Fredrick shares a West Los Angeles practice with her partner, Dr. Robert H. Gerner. The two psychiatrists, who are both on staff at St. John’s Hospital and Health Center, are under investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on suspicion of overprescribing drugs.

In August, police raided the offices of Fredrick and Gerner as part of that federal investigation. A federal grand jury is expected to convene in Los Angeles this month to consider the case, sources said.