FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Nov. 24 (UPI) -- A North Carolina man has been charged with impersonating a doctor at a local emergency room for three weeks, authorities said.
Daniel Ray Stewart, 24, was charged with three misdemeanor counts of impersonating a doctor for allegedly shadowing medical personnel at the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and posing as a visiting resident-in-training, the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer reported Wednesday.
His uncle says Stewart always wanted to be a medic.
"He's got a talent that way," John Smith said of his nephew.
Stewart suffers from bipolar disorder, he said.
"He's a real good boy, as long as he stays on his medicine," Smith said. "If he doesn't stay on his medicine, he's something else."
Hospital officials say they were initially alerted to Stewart when a physician assistant noticed he was not wearing a badge in the emergency department.
Stewart is "a troubled young man with a history of impersonation, or similar activity," hospital spokesman Vince Benbenek said in a statement.
No patients or staff members were harmed, he said.
"He was under direct supervision at all times and was never alone with a patient," Benbenek said.
