The Case That Has Texans Asking: Why Is This Doctor Still Allowed to Practice?
Danger in the ER: Why a Temporary Suspension Isn’t Enough for Dr. Derrick Anthony Mitchell
A Pattern of Violence, Intoxication, and Impunity
On June 5, 2026, the Texas Medical Board took the rare step of temporarily suspending the medical license of Dr. Derrick Anthony Mitchell, an emergency medicine physician, without prior notice. The Board determined that his “continuation in the practice of medicine poses a continuing threat to public welfare.”
A temporary suspension is not enough. Dr. Mitchell must be permanently barred from practicing medicine.
The evidence is overwhelming. Between February and May 2026 alone, Mitchell was detained or arrested at least six times, exhibiting a harrowing pattern of intoxication, mental impairment, and violent behavior. He has been convicted of drug possession, charged with assault on a family member, harassment of a public servant, and more. And this is not an isolated spiral—it is the culmination of years of troubling behavior that the medical establishment has failed to address.
A Six-Month Spiral of Arrests and Violence
The timeline of Dr. Mitchell’s 2026 arrests reads like a criminal complaint, not the personnel file of a physician entrusted with saving lives.
February 1, 2026 – Mitchell was arrested in Montgomery County for drug possession. According to the Texas Medical Board, he was hallucinating and expressing suicidal thoughts while in possession of 77 grams of THC gummies. He was later convicted of this charge in April.
March 9, 2026 – Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office responded to a family disturbance at a Spring, Texas apartment complex. Mitchell was under the influence of alcohol and had made suicidal statements to his fiancé. He was taken to a hospital, where he spit in a deputy’s face and told the deputy he had given him syphilis. He was charged with harassment of a public official—a charge later dismissed.
March 22, 2026 – Constables were called back to the same apartment complex. Mitchell was attempting to break into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and, when that failed, vandalized her brother’s car.
Same month, 2026 – Mitchell was accused of assaulting and choking a different woman.
May 2, 2026 – Mitchell’s sixth arrest of the year. Court documents state he punched and slapped his “baby mama” after pushing her down.
This is not a man having a bad year. This is a man who has repeatedly demonstrated that he is a danger to everyone around him—including the patients who would unknowingly place their lives in his hands.
A Troubling History Ignored
Mitchell’s 2026 arrests are not an aberration. He has a documented history of dangerous behavior that predates this year’s spiral.
- 2007 – Mitchell was convicted of driving while impaired.
- 2022 – He was charged with deadly conduct in Montgomery County. That charge was dismissed in 2025 after he completed deferred adjudication.
The system gave him a second chance. Then a third. Then a fourth. Each time, he has proven unworthy of the trust placed in him.
Why Temporary Suspension is a Failure of Public Protection
The Texas Medical Board’s temporary suspension is a step in the right direction, but it is fundamentally insufficient. Here is why:
First, temporary suspensions are designed for situations where a physician poses an immediate threat while the Board investigates further. A hearing with notice will be held “as soon as practicable.” But what happens after that hearing? If the Board merely extends the suspension or imposes conditions, Mitchell could eventually return to practice. Given his repeated failures, that outcome would be a catastrophic failure of the Board’s duty to protect the public.
Second, the pattern of behavior here is not a one-time mistake or a treatable condition. It is a sustained, escalating pattern of violence, substance abuse, and mental instability. Between February and May 2026, Mitchell was arrested an average of once every two to three weeks. Each incident was more violent than the last. There is no evidence that a few months of suspension will address the root causes of his behavior.
Third, Mitchell has already demonstrated that he cannot be trusted with second chances. He was given deferred adjudication for a deadly conduct charge in 2022. He was apparently able to work as an emergency room doctor at St. Luke’s Health Woodland Hospital until January 2026. Despite these opportunities, he continued to spiral. He has shown no capacity for reform.
The Unacceptable Risk to Patients
Emergency medicine is one of the most demanding fields in healthcare. Patients arrive in crisis, often unable to advocate for themselves. They trust that the physician treating them is sober, clear-headed, and capable of making life-or-death decisions in a split second.
Dr. Mitchell, by his own actions, has demonstrated that he is none of these things.
Imagine being a patient in an emergency room, unconscious or incapacitated, while a physician under the influence of alcohol or drugs—or in the throes of a mental health crisis—makes decisions about your care. Imagine being a woman in a vulnerable state, treated by a man who has been charged with choking and assaulting women. Imagine being a child, brought to the ER by a frantic parent, only to be evaluated by a physician who, just weeks earlier, was hallucinating and suicidal.
This is not fearmongering. This is the reality that the Texas Medical Board’s temporary suspension does not fully address.
What Must Be Done
The Texas Medical Board must go beyond a temporary suspension. It must permanently revoke Dr. Mitchell’s medical license.
The Board has the authority to do so. The evidence is more than sufficient:
- Six arrests in four months
- Conviction for drug possession
- Multiple allegations of violent behavior, including assault and choking
- Suicidal ideation and hallucinations
- A history of impaired driving and a deadly conduct charge
Each of these incidents, on its own, would be concerning. Taken together, they paint an undeniable picture of a physician who is fundamentally unfit to practice medicine.
A temporary suspension says: “We need to investigate further.” A permanent revocation says: “We have seen enough.”
We have seen enough.
Conclusion
Dr. Derrick Anthony Mitchell is a danger to himself, to his family, to law enforcement officers, and—most critically—to any patient unlucky enough to end up in his care. The Texas Medical Board recognized this when it suspended his license. But recognition without action is not protection.
The Board must permanently revoke his license. Anything less is a failure of its duty to the people of Texas.
The public deserves better. The patients who trust their lives to emergency room physicians deserve better. And the medical profession—which depends on the public’s trust—deserves better than to have its reputation stained by a physician who has proven, again and again, that he cannot be trusted with the most basic responsibility of his profession: doing no harm.
