A man posing as a dentist has been arrested again less than a week after he was found in violation of his probation for committing the same crime in Warren County nearly 20 years ago.
The man, Michael Richardson, 55, and his wife Lana Richardson, 52, have both been indicted by the grand jury in Coffee County for operating his practice, Amazing Smiles, in Tullahoma. Authorities say he was posing as a licensed dentist.
The incident for which he was indicted happened last year before he moved his practice to Columbia. He was subsequently charged in Columbia for the same crime.
Richardson is no stranger to being charged with illegally operating a dental practice without a license. He was arrested in Warren County in 1994 for running a practice out of an office next to what was then Shoney’s restaurant. Back then, lawmen said many of his patients believed he was a licensed dentist.
He was given a year on probation in 1995 for the crime and agreed to practice denuturism, which is legal in Washington, only after going to that western state. However, Richardson failed to make good on his agreement plus he did not pay court costs nor did he report to his probation officer. Therefore, when he was arrested in Columbia last year for impersonating a licensed professional, he was charged in Warren County for violation of probation.
He entered a plea before Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley last week to the charge of violating his probation for impersonation of a licensed professional. He had his probation extended by one year, during which time he is to meet with his probation officer and pay court costs. It is not expected his charges in Tullahoma will impact his probation violation here.