No criminal charges will be filed against Shoreline pediatrician Dr. Bill Schnall after a review was completed by detectives with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Schnall, 60, was previously accused by the state Medical Quality Assurance Commission of having inappropriate relationships with several patients, all of whom were male.
The investigation was completed on Monday, April 24, after the primary charge of communication with a minor for immoral purposes was investigated, said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County Prosecutor’s office.
“We’ve reviewed the information that was sent to us by the Sheriff’s Office and determined that we can’t pursue a criminal charge,” Donohoe said.
Because the patients all were older than 16 years old, which is the age of consent in Washington state, no criminal charges could be filed, Donohoe said, although he added that Schnall’s behavior was “inappropriate and crossed professional and personal boundaries.
“There is no evidence of a sexual relationship either,” Donohoe said, “so there were no criminal charges.”
In March, the long-time Shoreline pediatrician and past school board member announced he would surrendered his medical license and retire. Schnall, who practiced for almost 30 years, gave up his state license as part of an agreement with the state Medical Quality Assurance Commission after an investigation into allegations that he violated boundaries with a number of adolescent male patients. Schnall has been licensed as a physician and surgeon in the state since July 1973.
State Department of Health officials began investigating Schnall in April 2005. The Medical Quality Assurance Commission alleged Schnall’s boundary violations were sexual in nature and occurred in the past two years with eight adolescent males. Schnall had the majority of contact with one male, according to commission documents.
According to the state report, Schnall financially assisted several of the patients, and many of those with whom he became involved are troubled adolescents, some of whom he treated since birth. Schnall was charged with inappropriately prescribing certain medications and interfering with the investigation by contacting a patient in a threatening manner after he was told by the agency and the patient to have no further contact.
Schnall, who still faces two civil lawsuits, served on the Shoreline School Board from November 1989-August 1996. He is married with children.
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