Feb 26, 2009 10:28 am US/Eastern
Baltimore Doctor Charged In Assisted Suicide Ring
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Dr. Lawrence Egbert was taken into custody and charged with assisted suicide.
CBS
Eyewitness News was the only station there Wednesday afternoon as detectives from Georgia took Dr. Lawrence Egbert into custody. He's one of several people charged with assisted suicide.
Kelly McPherson explains where the charges are coming from.
Friends say Dr. Larry Egbert is not the kind of activist to get arrested to make a political stance.
"We attend vigils together, demonstrations, rallies," said Jim Baldridge.
But WJZ's cameras were the only ones rolling when it happened.
"Once I stepped aside, at least six or seven police officers came and I looked out and there were cars lining the street, police cars," said Jacqueline Robarge, director of "Power Inside."
Georgia state investigators arrested and charged Egbert with assisted suicide. They say Egbert, 81, helped a 58-year-old Georgia man kill himself as a member of the Final Exit Network.
Dr. Egbert has represented Johns Hopkins University at many discussions and conferences about the issue of assisted suicide. One Williamsburg group bills him as the medical director of the Final Exit Network.
Their official site also lists Egbert as a senior guide, one who's trained to assist a member's "self-deliverance." The group says it differentiates from other right-to-die groups because it's "the only organization in the United States that will help individuals who are not terminally ill to hasten their deaths."
Police say their sting operation in Georgia outlined how it works: clients buy two helium tanks of a specific size and brand and a specific type of hood, known as an "exit bag." On the day of the event, the member is visited by the "exit guide" and a "senior exit guide." The "senior exit guide" instructs the member through the process.
"The idea that Larry, or somebody like Larry, would be doing something that is wrong just doesn't compute, doesn't fit the mold," Baldridge said.
Assisted suicide is only legal in Oregon and Washington state with restrictions.
A late call to Johns Hopkins University for comment was not returned.
Investigators say more people could be arrested.
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