RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond doctor’s license has been suspended after he was accused of having a romantic and sexual relationship with a patient.
8News obtained documents from the Virginia Board of Medicine, which report an alleged sexual relationship between Dr. Samuel Thomas Clanton and a 26-year-old female patient, whose identity is unknown.
Dr. Clanton was a contracted worker at Sheltering Arms Institute, providing services at the facility through MCV Physicians, part of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health. According to the board, the patient started receiving care from Dr. Clanton in June 2022 for pain management after a concussion.
The board said that, later that month, Dr. Clanton noted the patient had suicidal thoughts. At the time, Dr. Clanton had allegedly given the patient his personal phone number and the two communicated frequently about her mental health outside of scheduled visits.
The two were said to have started a personal relationship in March 2023, meeting outside of Dr. Clanton’s office to kiss and use their hands for sexual activities.
Some of the sexual encounters mentioned in the document were reported to have been unwanted by the patient. The board stated that Dr. Clanton would justify the sexual acts by saying it was “exposure therapy” to help the patient with her fears.
Investigators with the board determined the acts took place in several locations, including inside Dr. Clanton’s car and in the on-call room at the inpatient hospital.
Text messages between Dr. Clanton and the patient were also released by the board and show the extent of their relationship, as they discussed their sexual acts in detail. Throughout the text conversations, the two expressed to each other that the relationship was wrong, but the patient said she was afraid of the relationship becoming public.
According to the documents, Dr. Clanton said he was “sucked in” by the patient and that he had tried to remove himself from the relationship, but felt like she was manipulating and blackmailing him.
He also said he believed that his own lack of communication and intimacy in his marriage set the stage for the relationship with the patient.
The board called Dr. Clanton’s reported actions with his patient a “substantial danger to the public health and safety.” According to the Virginia Department of Health Professionals, a formal hearing on the matter will take place, but a date has not yet been set.
A Sheltering Arms Institute spokesperson sent 8News the following statement in response to the allegations made against Dr. Clanton:
“We were disheartened to learn of the allegations regarding the suspension of Dr. Clanton’s medical license contained in the Board of Medicine’s Statement of Allegations. Dr. Clanton ceased to be affiliated with Sheltering Arms Institute upon the suspension of his medical license by the Board of Medicine. We are committed to the safety, well-being, and privacy of our patients. Sheltering Arms Institute is focused on continuing to provide the highest quality physical rehabilitation services to our patients.”
A spokesperson from VCU sent 8News the following statement in response to the allegations regarding Dr. Clanton:
MCV Physicians and the VCU School of Medicine are aware of the allegations. While we cannot discuss a matter currently under investigation by the Virginia Department of Health Professions, we are deeply committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct and patient safety. Our top priority is the well-being of our patients, and we take any allegations of inappropriate behavior seriously. We adhere to a strict code of ethics and professionalism, and any deviation from these principles is not tolerated.
8News reached out to Dr. Clanton’s lawyer about the allegations, and were told their office would not be commenting on the matter.
