Dentist Trades Crowns for Sex

Dr. Claude Strickland: “Open wide.”

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – A Pensacola dentist accused of having sex with a teenage girl and several escorts in exchange for dental work is scheduled for sentencing in October.

Dr. Claude Strickland, 60, of Gulf Breeze pleaded guilty to a single charge of racketeering. A judge could sentence Strickland to 34½ months to 30 years in state prison for the first-degree felony.

The State Attorney’s Office last week dropped second-degree felony counts of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors and procuring a prostitute under the age of 16. Assistant State Attorney Russ Edgar said he repackaged the charges under a single racketeering charge to encompass Strickland’s other alleged crimes, including drug use and procuring multiple prostitutes.

Circuit Judge Terry Terrell ordered a presentence investigation and will sentence Strickland at an Oct. 2 hearing.

In addition to possible jail time, Strickland agreed to surrender his dental license. As of Monday, the Florida Department of Health still listed him as an active dentist who is on probation.

The parking lot was empty Monday morning at Strickland’s office on Garden Gate Circle near Airport Boulevard. A receptionist at the front desk said Strickland would not be in Monday.

After his arrest, Strickland told investigators he had sex with a teenager who was arrested in 2006 as part of an investigation into local escort services.

The girl worked for Florida Dream Girls in 2004 and 2005, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. An investigation revealed that Florida Dream Girls and several other local escort services were fronts for prostitution. The teenager said she had sex with Strickland about 10 times at an apartment below his dental office.

Charges against the teen were dropped because of her age and her cooperation in the investigation, Edgar said.

Several other women identified as strippers and prostitutes told authorities they had sex with Strickland in exchange for dental services and also shared illicit drugs with him, investigative reports said. Strickland also told investigators that he spent more than $30,000 in one year on one prostitute working in Pensacola.

Attempts to reach Strickland on Monday were unsuccessful. His defense attorney, Michael Griffith, did not return a call seeking comment.

Courtesy Pensacola News Journal