Jacksonville substance abuse psychiatrist arrested for driving under the influence

August 21, 2012

A Jacksonville psychiatrist who specializes in substance abuse and addiction treatment was arrested Thursday and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or chemical substance, police said.

Mohamed Omar Saleh, 59, of Campbell Avenue was jailed on $5,000 bail after his arrest that began with a traffic stop spurred by a retired Jacksonville police officer, records show. The stop occurred on northbound Interstate 95 near Duval Road about midnight.

Saleh’s arrest report said that former officer Brian Murphy saw a white vehicle swerving on the highway and police were contacted. Two officers stopped the vehicle, which was being driven by Saleh. The Highway Patrol was then summoned for help.

A third Jacksonville police officer told a trooper that Saleh was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, the report said. The trooper performed a field sobriety test and concluded that Saleh was impaired. He was then jailed, where he gave a urine sample for testing. The test has not been completed.

Saleh’s business, the Center for Medicine and Wellness, is at 1408 San Marco Blvd., state health records show. He has been practicing since at least 1984 and has privileges at Baptist Medical Center, Memorial Hospital and St. Johns River Hospital.

Gaston said a handful of agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, local narcotics detectives and the state Department of Health sought records of Saleh’s arrest after they learned about Thursday’s incident. He said the agencies did not say why they wanted those records.

State health officials did not return calls seeking information about Saleh and their knowledge of the arrest.

Saleh hung up on a Times-Union reporter who reached him on his cell phone.

Source: Jim Schoettler, "Jacksonville psychiatrist who specializes in substance abuse treatment charged with DUI," Florida Times-Union, July 20, 2012.