Former physician gets 43 months in child abuse case

By Sarah Smithssmith@parkrapidsenterprise.com
Dennis Sullivan was sentenced Friday to 43 months in prison for the abuse of his nine-year-old disabled foster son, telling Hubbard County District Court he saw demons last spring. The Benedict man, who has already served 129 days in the Hubbard County Correctional Center for Attempted First Degree Assault, must serve two-thirds of the sentence behind bars and if he is released on good behavior, the remaining one-third on supervised probation. In addition, the 51-year-old surgeon has surrendered his license to practice medicine and likely will never practice again, his attorney told Judge Paul Rasmussen. He entered into a cease and desist stipulation with the Minnesota medical board that oversees physician licensing. That is the short version of the drama that unfolded in a Park Rapids courtroom. The long version is a heart-breaking story of a driven man who snapped when the pressure got to be too much and the equally heart-breaking story of a boy who longed for an adoptive home that let him down. Testimony Sullivan testified last month that the boy he and his wife took in under foster care and were planning on adopting, was blind, wheelchair-bound and severely retarded. He admitted placing a glove in the boy’s mouth “in front of his tongue and behind his teeth” so the child could not bite him, then placed his hand over the boy’s mouth to interrupt his breathing, Sullivan testified. The boy has only been identified as “M/K” in court proceedings. His wife caught him June 17, Sullivan testified. The criminal complaint states he then fled to a mental health center in Grand Forks that same day, where he was arrested. During the investigation, Sullivan admitted to torturing the boy in the genital area a month before the June 17 incident for which he was arrested. He said that he is being seen by a psychiatrist and taking mood-stabilizing medications. The doctor Friday, a friend of 32 years told the story of a much different Dennis Sullivan. “I was fortunate to have met Dennis,” said Stewart Pemberton. “I was a mediocre student with an undistinguished path” until Sullivan turned him around, Pemberton said. Sullivan taught Pemberton “the value of hard work” and the college student learned “the depth of Dennis’ intellect.” In addition to being a brilliant student, Sullivan was an athlete who was a swimmer and cross-country skier who pushed himself to excel, Pemberton said. Sullivan participated in wilderness canoe trips and selflessly worked in nursing homes to put himself through medical school, Pemberton said. “He would cleanse their bodies; help them eat their meals,” Pemberton said. “He had a special rapport with the residents… I credit Dennis for making my medical career possible.” The boy Anoka County Social Worker Jeff Oakes testified that the boy went through an extensive fostering process that was leading to eventual adoption. He was delayed verbally and had impaired sight. “By all indication he was the perfect match for their family,” Oakes testified of the Sullivan family, which included the doctor, his wife and a two-year-old. He “wanted to be in a family,” Oaked testified. “We found what we believed was the perfect family for him.” By all accounts, he started thriving initially at the Sullivan household. “That was all taken away June 17,” Oakes testified of the date of Sullivan’s arrest. “Two years of progress has totally been destroyed,” Oakes testified of the boy. “He doesn’t trust people; pushes them away.” The judge and the defendant District Judge Paul Rasmussen rejected attorney Michael Undem’s request for a “dispositional departure” from the recommended sentence of 37-51 months in prison. “This is a 51-year-old man who has lived his entire life without getting into trouble except for getting a DWI and two misdemeanors,” Undem implored the court. “Assault is the number one crime for which a departure” is done, Undem continued. “He is extremely remorseful for his conduct. “Mental illness altered his ability to make rational decisions,” Undem said. “Prison is always an option if he doesn’t succeed in probation.” Undem also mentioned Sullivan’s “willingness to address his problems.” A psychiatrist who examined Sullivan found the former surgeon suffered from a bi-polar disorder and a schizoid disorder. It was unclear when the conditions manifested themselves, but Undem made it sound like they came on without warning in 2014. “He will have a hard time getting his medical license back,” Undem told the court, adding that Sullivan wasn’t “a public safety concern. I would consider him a perfect candidate for probation.” Sullivan said the admissions of his mental illness were “private and embarrassing. I wasn’t really aware of the severity of my mental illness,” he said in court Friday. “There were times I was aware I was having abnormal thoughts” and times he thought he saw demons. His wife wanted the house blessed to ward against harm. At one point, Sullivan believed he saw a noose hanging from his foster son’s room and saw the boy rocking and chanting in a strange voice. Sullivan admitted it scared him and that his spiritual beliefs were delusions, in part aggravated by alcohol abuse. “I have to take full responsibility for my actions,” Sullivan said, apologizing to both Oakes and the foster son “I’m responsible for what I’ve done and I believe I should be punished,” Sullivan admitted. “Mr. Sullivan truly wants to get the help he needs,” Undem said. Prosecutor Erika Randall asked Rasmussen to deny the request to lighten Sullivan’s sentence, due to the “horrific nature of this case.” Rasmussen decided to follow the Pre-Sentence Investigation recommendations, seeing “no compelling reason for departure,” he said. Sullivan’s medical license indicated he was assigned to the Wapiti Medical Group of Milbank S.D., and that he was licensed to perform general surgery, trauma and surgical critical care. He obtained his medical education at the University of Minnesota and became licensed in 1991.By Sarah Smithssmith@parkrapidsenterprise.com
Dennis Sullivan was sentenced Friday to 43 months in prison for the abuse of his nine-year-old disabled foster son, telling Hubbard County District Court he saw demons last spring.The Benedict man, who has already served 129 days in the Hubbard County Correctional Center for Attempted First Degree Assault, must serve two-thirds of the sentence behind bars and if he is released on good behavior, the remaining one-third on supervised probation.In addition, the 51-year-old surgeon has surrendered his license to practice medicine and likely will never practice again, his attorney told Judge Paul Rasmussen.He entered into a cease and desist stipulation with the Minnesota medical board that oversees physician licensing.That is the short version of the drama that unfolded in a Park Rapids courtroom.The long version is a heart-breaking story of a driven man who snapped when the pressure got to be too much and the equally heart-breaking story of a boy who longed for an adoptive home that let him down.TestimonySullivan testified last month that the boy he and his wife took in under foster care and were planning on adopting, was blind, wheelchair-bound and severely retarded.He admitted placing a glove in the boy’s mouth “in front of his tongue and behind his teeth” so the child could not bite him, then placed his hand over the boy’s mouth to interrupt his breathing, Sullivan testified.The boy has only been identified as “M/K” in court proceedings.His wife caught him June 17, Sullivan testified. The criminal complaint states he then fled to a mental health center in Grand Forks that same day, where he was arrested.During the investigation, Sullivan admitted to torturing the boy in the genital area a month before the June 17 incident for which he was arrested. He said that he is being seen by a psychiatrist and taking mood-stabilizing medications.The doctorFriday, a friend of 32 years told the story of a much different Dennis Sullivan.“I was fortunate to have met Dennis,” said Stewart Pemberton. “I was a mediocre student with an undistinguished path” until Sullivan turned him around, Pemberton said.Sullivan taught Pemberton “the value of hard work” and the college student learned “the depth of Dennis’ intellect.”In addition to being a brilliant student, Sullivan was an athlete who was a swimmer and cross-country skier who pushed himself to excel, Pemberton said.Sullivan participated in wilderness canoe trips and selflessly worked in nursing homes to put himself through medical school, Pemberton said.“He would cleanse their bodies; help them eat their meals,” Pemberton said. “He had a special rapport with the residents… I credit Dennis for making my medical career possible.”The boyAnoka County Social Worker Jeff Oakes testified that the boy went through an extensive fostering process that was leading to eventual adoption.He was delayed verbally and had impaired sight.“By all indication he was the perfect match for their family,” Oakes testified of the Sullivan family, which included the doctor, his wife and a two-year-old.He “wanted to be in a family,” Oaked testified. “We found what we believed was the perfect family for him.”By all accounts, he started thriving initially at the Sullivan household.“That was all taken away June 17,” Oakes testified of the date of Sullivan’s arrest.“Two years of progress has totally been destroyed,” Oakes testified of the boy. “He doesn’t trust people; pushes them away.”The judge and the defendantDistrict Judge Paul Rasmussen rejected attorney Michael Undem’s request for a “dispositional departure” from the recommended sentence of 37-51 months in prison.“This is a 51-year-old man who has lived his entire life without getting into trouble except for getting a DWI and two misdemeanors,” Undem implored the court.“Assault is the number one crime for which a departure” is done, Undem continued. “He is extremely remorseful for his conduct.“Mental illness altered his ability to make rational decisions,” Undem said. “Prison is always an option if he doesn’t succeed in probation.”Undem also mentioned Sullivan’s “willingness to address his problems.”A psychiatrist who examined Sullivan found the former surgeon suffered from a bi-polar disorder and a schizoid disorder. It was unclear when the conditions manifested themselves, but Undem made it sound like they came on without warning in 2014.“He will have a hard time getting his medical license back,” Undem told the court, adding that Sullivan wasn’t “a public safety concern. I would consider him a perfect candidate for probation.”Sullivan said the admissions of his mental illness were “private and embarrassing. I wasn’t really aware of the severity of my mental illness,” he said in court Friday.“There were times I was aware I was having abnormal thoughts” and times he thought he saw demons. His wife wanted the house blessed to ward against harm.At one point, Sullivan believed he saw a noose hanging from his foster son’s room and saw the boy rocking and chanting in a strange voice.Sullivan admitted it scared him and that his spiritual beliefs were delusions, in part aggravated by alcohol abuse.“I have to take full responsibility for my actions,” Sullivan said, apologizing to both Oakes and the foster son“I’m responsible for what I’ve done and I believe I should be punished,” Sullivan admitted.“Mr. Sullivan truly wants to get the help he needs,” Undem said.Prosecutor Erika Randall asked Rasmussen to deny the request to lighten Sullivan’s sentence, due to the “horrific nature of this case.”Rasmussen decided to follow the Pre-Sentence Investigation recommendations, seeing “no compelling reason for departure,” he said.Sullivan’s medical license indicated he was assigned to the Wapiti Medical Group of Milbank S.D., and that he was licensed to perform general surgery, trauma and surgical critical care. He obtained his medical education at the University of Minnesota and became licensed in 1991.