Western Md. Doctor Has Court Date On Sex Charge

CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) -- A western Maryland physician at the center of a medical licensing scandal is surrendering his license to practice medicine to resolve charges that he molested a female patient.

Attorneys for Dr. William Dando and the Allegany County State's Attorney's office announced the deal at a court hearing Tuesday in Cumberland.

Dando declined to comment. His trial had been scheduled for Wednesday.

The 60-year-old doctor had pleaded not guilty to fourth-degree sex offense for allegedly molesting a woman at a clinic in LaVale. A West Virginia woman also filed a civil lawsuit alleging she, too, was sexually assaulted by Dando.

The state public health agency's inspector general is investigating how Dando obtained a Maryland medical license in 1996 despite his 1987 conviction for raping a woman at gunpoint near Orlando, Florida.