Santa Rosa doctor gets one year in teen sexting case

A judge sentenced a Santa Rosa orthopedic surgeon to a year in jail on Wednesday for attempted child molestation, saying she doesn’t believe he will be a danger to others in the future.

“At least I certainly hope that,” said Judge Kelly Simmons toward the end of a 70-minute sentencing hearing for Dr. Raymond Severt in Marin County Superior Court.

Severt, 54, a well-known orthopedic surgeon in Sonoma County, was convicted in August of attempted lewd acts on a 13-year-old girl and three other charges involving lewd acts with a child.

He was arrested last year after he drove from Santa Rosa to a Novato convenience store to meet with her and have sex with the “girl” he was sexting with - actually a police officer posing as her.

Dressed in a striped yellow and pink jail shirt and yellow jail pants, Severt read a prepared statement to the judge, saying he was remorseful that his actions caused pain and sadness to the victim, her family and others.

“I am committed that it will never happen again,” he said. He said he is a Christian, but “his actions have fallen short” and that he has repented and sought forgiveness.

“The consequences of what I have done have been profound,” he said. “I have lost almost everything.”

After the hearing, the victim’s mother was visibly unhappy with the sentence.

“I’m pissed,” she said loudly in the hallway outside court before leaving with her daughter and victim advocate.

Severt, who has been held in jail without bail since his conviction, met the victim, a 13-year-old Novato girl, in February 2013 on an adults-only chat line. She initially said she was older, but later told him she was a minor.

In hundreds of text messages over a two-day period, the pair discussed a multitude of sex acts, using terms at one point the teen appeared unfamiliar with, according to prosecutors. The girl’s mother became suspicious and confiscated her daughter’s phone, then alerted police to the activity.

Severt faced a possible seven years in prison on all charges. The prosecutor argued for the mid-term of four years, while Severt’s attorney, Stephen Turer, argued probation was appropriate.

Probation officials said Severt “was saved” by a physical test that is used to reveal whether a man is a pedophile; the result determined Severt was not sexually attracted to children.

Simmons ordered Severt to spend 12 months in jail, for which he could be released after half with credit for good behavior. He already has 124 days’ credit. He also was ordered to serve five years on probation and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Severt’s medical license was suspended during the criminal case. The state medical board likely now will take additional action based on his convictions and sex-offender status.

Prosecutor Nicole Pantaleo argued that Severt deserved a lengthy prison sentence. “We have an entire set of evidence that shows overwhelmingly his intent and desire to engage in sexual conduct with a child,” she said. “This is a case not just about sexting. It’s about taking that affirmative step to engage in more.”

She also argued that a 1997 incident in Santa Rosa shows Severt hasn’t changed. He was arrested - but never charged - after he was caught chatting with a 17-year-old girl online after her mother discovered inappropriate communications.

Severt was let off with a warning then, Pantaleo said.

Severt’s lawyer argued that the girl went onto the adult chat line with the intent to trick an adult into sexual conversations. She told Severt she was an adult at first, which lulled him into the belief that other references to her being younger weren’t true, Turer said.

He said there is no evidence Severt sought out young girls or had ever acted inappropriately around his daughter’s friends. Severt is married with an adult daughter; they attended the hearing.

Simmons held off on ordering a suspended prison sentence should Severt fail to complete probation. She said she wanted all options available to her should he be arrested in the future.