Convicted Iowa dentist could lose license, has history of patient accusations for inappropriate conduct

By Sarah Fili

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    GLENWOOD, Iowa (KETV) — The Iowa Dental Board suspended a Glenwood dentist’s license following his conviction for assaulting a patient.

The board called him an “imminent threat to public safety.”

KETV NewsWatch 7’s investigation revealed that the victim in the case isn’t the first time he’s been accused of inappropriate conduct with patients.

Emily Wooten set out to find a dentist. She’d been searching for one for three years, hopeful they could fix issues in her mouth — and accept her insurance.

“Really hard to find one during COVID. And all the restrictions they put on everybody with my insurance and stuff,” Wooten said.

She discovered Dr. Calvin Weber in Glenwood and went in for an appointment.

“I’m wearing a Nebraska hoodie and some leggings,” Wooten said.

Wooten says the procedure was normal, until she followed Weber back to his office, expecting him to give her pain medication.

“He just kind of grabs onto my backside and pulls me, tries to pull me in. He grabs me by like my right butt cheek, and he says, ‘You just look so good in those pants. You look so sexy. And I just, I need to see the rest of your tattoos,'” Wooten said.

Wooten panicked.

“As a trauma survivor and somebody that’s been through it and I’ve done the inner work, I knew what my body did. It froze,” Wooten said.

She says Weber told her to wear shorts to her next appointment, but as she left that day, the situation was more tense.

“Calvin followed me outside and says basically the same thing. He proceeded to do the same gestures. He’s still telling me the same thing, telling me I owe him at this point,” Wooten said.

Wooten called police and Weber was prosecuted for assault.

A judge found him guilty, and sentenced Weber to pay an $855 fine and time served.

“I really, truly think he thought he was doing the right … I think he thought he was going to get away with it,” Wooten said.

Wooten feels it is enough justice for now, though she believes there are other victims.

“I truly felt the way that he … it was almost like an M.O., you know?” Wooten said.

KETV Investigates looked into the 65-year-old dentist’s license, finding this case is not the first time a concern has been brought to the Iowa Dental Board.

In the 1990s, Weber lost his license to administer anesthesia after three female patients said he inappropriately touched them during their appointments. One said her genital area was in pain after she woke up.

The board disciplined him for “gross immorality or dishonorable or unprofessional conduct.”

The investigation shows all the women involved had low-income insurance and a history of trauma.

“I was easy for him because I had expressed to him I had trauma. I expressed to him that I was a domestic violence survivor. I had told him, you know, I have this, this, this and this going on. And it was almost like it was like, ‘OK, well, this will be an easy one. You’ll keep your mouth shut.'” Wooten said.

Dental Board records show Weber moved to Florida and worked as a golf pro, then moved back to Iowa in 2006 — nearly a decade later, and applied to reinstate his license.

The board put him on probation in 2006. That ended in 2011, though he still couldn’t perform anesthesia.

Wooten wants to know why he wasn’t watched closer.

“I am not shocked, which is like unreal, right? I really. Wow. I say I’m not shocked, but it’s somewhat shocking that it’s still happening,” Wooten said.

After his conviction in her case, the Iowa Dental Board suspended Weber’s license, saying he posed “an imminent threat to public safety.”

“Sometimes it takes somebody that went through it to be loud about it,” Wooten said.

Now, with this criminal conviction — his first, she hopes other women will come forward — which would also mean Weber could face a harsher penalty if convicted on other charges.

The Dental Board was set for a hearing on Weber’s license, but it’s been continued.

Wooten hopes it’s revoked altogether.

“It’s ridiculous. There should be no chance that he continues,” Wooten said.

Wooten hopes this proves to women their stories matter — and there can be justice.

“I went there for medical care, for dental care, and I was violated to an extreme,” Wooten said. “It can’t be a secret forever. It’s not a secret I was going to keep for him.”

KETV Investigates has repeatedly reached out to Weber by phone. Our calls went unanswered.

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