SPRINGDALE, Ark. (AP) — The former chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board was indicted on charges that he drugged and abducted patients at a psychiatric facility in order to get more money from health care reimbursements, according to an indictment released on Monday.
An Arkansas grand jury indicted Dr. Brian Hyatt in early March on charges that he gave numerous patients strong, mind-altering sedatives in order to keep them at the facility without a medical justification. He is charged with two federal counts of kidnapping and distribution of the controlled substances that he allegedly used to subdue patients.
Seven mental health care workers, administrative employees and nurses who worked for Hyatt also were indicted in early March. Some were charged for allegedly failing to intervene to avoid getting fired, the indictment said. They are accused of neglecting to document patients’ actual conditions in medical records, instead using generic notes in order to obscure the patients’ conditions and conceal the lack of treatment being provided to them.
Other employees charged are accused of directly participating in the misconduct. At least one employee is accused of breaking a patient's collarbone in order to physically restrain her to force her to accept unnecessary treatment. Others allegedly used threats, coercion and intimidation to force patients to accept unnecessary medical treatments, the indictment said, and also used physical abuse to prevent alleged victims from reporting their actions.
The crimes allegedly happened at the Northwest Medical Center Behavioral Health Unit in Springdale, where Hyatt’s medical company was contracted to provide psychiatric services between 2018 and 2022.
If convicted, those charged face a maximum sentence of life in prison with up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
There was no attorney listed for Hyatt or the seven employees on Monday night. The Arkansas State Medical Board didn't respond to an emailed request for comment.
FILE - Police cruisers are stationed outside the Arkansas State Medical Board building during a medical board meeting, Feb. 5, 2009, in Little Rock, Ark. (AP Photo/Mike Wintroath)
Tottenham, a top English club threatened by relegation from the Premier League, hired Roberto De Zerbi as its manager on Tuesday despite opposition to the appointment from fans’ groups because of the Italian’s past support of a player who was charged with offenses including attempted rape.
De Zerbi replaced Igor Tudor, who was fired on Sunday after 44 days of an interim coaching spell that worsened Tottenham’s plight in the Premier League.
Spurs, the reigning Europa League champions and ever-presents in England’s top division since 1978, are one point above the relegation zone with seven games left.
De Zerbi previously worked in the Premier League as Brighton’s manager and was most recently at Marseille, which he left in February after a disagreement with the French club’s leadership.
While at Marseille, De Zerbi coached former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood, who was charged in October 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behavior, and assault after images and videos were posted online.
British prosecutors dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to a “combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses” and due to “no realistic prospect of conviction.”
During their time together at Marseille, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a “good guy” who “paid dearly for what happened,” adding: “I regret what happened in his life because I know someone different from what’s being described, especially in England.”
Women of the Lane, a Tottenham-affiliated women’s supporters’ group, questioned De Zerbi’s “judgment and leadership” because of the way he “publicly defended Mason Greenwood in a way that downplays the seriousness of male violence against women and girls” and said it was “not an appointment Tottenham Hotspur should make.”
Proud Lilywhites, Tottenham’s LGBTQI supporter group, also has objected to De Zerbi’s arrival, saying the decision to appoint a coach “isn’t just about results or style of football. It’s about values, identity, and the kind of people we choose to represent us.”
“When someone in that position publicly defends a player like Mason Greenwood, and frames it in a way that downplays the seriousness of what happened, it matters, not just in isolation but in what it signals,” the group said.
Spurs Reach, the club’s official race, ethnicity and cultural heritage fans’ group, said De Zerbi’s “public remarks defending and contextualizing” Greenwood “risks normalizing harmful attitudes, diminishing the experiences of survivors and sending a deeply concerning message about what is tolerated within the game.”
De Zerbi, who has signed what Tottenham said was a “long-term contract," is a coach known for playing an attacking, high-risk, complex style of soccer, making it something of a bold appointment by club whose top-flight status on the line.
He is a well-respected tactician — doing admirably at Sassuolo in Italy and then at Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk, which he left in 2022 following Russia’s invasion — but is known to have a combustible edge to him.
“Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season,” De Zerbi said in a statement by Tottenham.
Tottenham didn’t specify but British media reported his contract is for five years and does not include a relegation clause.
“Roberto was our No. 1 target for the summer,” Spurs sporting director Johan Lange said, “and we are very pleased to be able to bring him in now.”
De Zerbi takes over a club that is one of the biggest in England and reached the Champions League’s round of 16 this season, losing over two legs to Atletico Madrid.
However, Tottenham’s Premier League form has been woeful over the last two seasons. In the 2024-25 campaign, Spurs finished in 17th place — one above the relegation zone — though that was partially due to focusing on the Europa League as they surged to the title.
This season, Tottenham hasn’t won a league game in 2026 and is coming off a 3-0 home loss to relegation rival Nottingham Forest before the international break.
Thomas Frank started the season as Tottenham’s manager before getting fired on Feb. 11. His replacement, Tudor, lasted just seven matches — losing five of them — before losing his job on Sunday to end his nightmarish month and a half in charge.
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Nottingham Forest's Murillo celebrates after the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest in London, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison appears dejected after his side concede a second goal, during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, in London, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)
Tottenham fans leave the stadium after their team conceded a third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest in London, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
FILE - Marseille's head coach Roberto De Zerbi gives instructions during the French League One soccer match between Paris FC and Marseille in Paris, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
