CLEARWATER, Fla. — A St. Petersburg plastic surgeon who continued to practice medicine for years after being arrested for possession of methamphetamine learned on Thursday that he would not have to serve any jail time despite pleading guilty to two felony charges in Pinellas County Circuit Court.
The ABC Action News I-Team has previously reported on the case.
Dr. William Wright Adams entered a guilty plea to felony charges of burglary and possession of methamphetamine. He could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, and the guidelines called for a 22.8 month minimum sentence.
Instead, he’ll be spending 90 days in a drug rehab. Adams entered the guilty plea 17 months after his arrest and a week before his scheduled trial.
In court Thursday, prosecutors described how Adams hired a man to steal jewelry and other times from his ex-boyfriend in 2021.
$1,000, crystal meth, and an emerald belly-button ring
He was caught after a co-defendant was questioned when he tried to pawn some of the victim’s jewelry. Adams’ vehicle was spotted at the burglary site on the day of the crime, and neighbors reported seeing a man wearing scrubs near the home.
“The co-defendant stated that Dr. William Adams paid him $1,000 and gave him a bag of crystal meth to break into his ex-boyfriend's home and steal items including an emerald belly-button ring,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Benjamin Grueschow.
When officers were going to question Adams about the burglary, they conducted a traffic stop in which they found crystal meth in a leather bag in the front seat of his SUV. Adams told the officers a patient was waiting for surgery at his office when they pulled him over.
“They’re putting someone to sleep right now for me to operate on. So I have to call them if I can’t be there,” Adams can be heard saying on body camera footage the I-Team obtained from the St. Petersburg Police Department.
Jail time substituted for drug rehab
Immediately before his plea, Adams paid more than $50,000 in restitution to the burglary victim.
He agreed to serve 90 days at the Footprints at the Beach Recovery Center instead of spending time in the county jail, which is a significant departure from a nearly two year recommended minimum sentence.
“I think the State Attorney’s Office saw the need for a first-time offender who’s never been arrested.... who’s never been convicted of anything in his life. So, this is the first crime that he would have criminal charges that would result in a conviction,” Adams’ attorney Kevin Hayslett said
But the 2022 case wasn’t the first time Dr. Adams was charged with a drug crime.
In 2020, he was arrested after deputies found crystal meth in Adams’ bag at a security checkpoint at the Pinellas County Justice Center, where Adams was attending a domestic violence order hearing.
“They did a thorough investigation and determined they couldn’t connect the drugs to him in that case. In this case, they did,” Hayslett said.
“He practiced the whole time”
When he completes residential treatment, Adams will face three years of drug probation, making him subject to random drug testing. During his probation, Adams has agreed not to practice medicine.
Multiple patients have told the ABC Action News I-Team they reported Adams to the Florida Board of Medicine, but his license remains active, and the Florida Department of Health’s website shows no discipline or complaints.
“They’ve got tons of cases to take care of. This case never went to hearing. So, in this case, he practiced the entire time,” Hayslett said.
Dr. Adams has already closed his practice and announced last month that he was retiring on December 1st.
If you have a story you’d like the I-Team to investigate, email us at adam@abcactionnews.com
