Former Kaiser Permanente doctor Scott Takasugi was sentenced Monday to three years and eight months in prison after he earlier pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting patients.
Last week, he failed to show up in court to face sentencing. Takasugi missed an Oct. 23 court appearance after he was committed to a Ventura County mental institution, his attorney said.
The attorney said the earlier move was not an attempt to avoid time behind bars.
Takasugi was brought to Sacramento last week from Southern California for the sentencing.
According to a source close to the investigation, Oxnard police earlier found Takasugi near a Southern California storage facility.
That source said Takasugi had been drinking alcohol and was under the influence of sedatives. The source also said Takasugi had a weapon in violation of the terms of his plea agreement.
That incident took place hours before Takasugi was supposed to appear in a Sacramento courtroom. Because he didn't appear in court, and because it appears -- according to prosecutors -- that Takasugi had a weapon, the judge put a bench warrant into effect.
Takasugi was placed under 72-hour observation at the mental institution. It was not immediately clear why he was admitted.
This article originally appeared on KCRA.com.
