Teen's medical impostor trial begins

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KISSIMMEE, Fla., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a teenager accused of posing as a physician assistant at a Kissimmee, Fla., hospital, court records said.

Matthew Scheidt, now 18, was arrested last year for posing as an employee of the Osceola Regional Medical Center. He faces a possible five years in prison for impersonating a physician assistant and practicing medicine without a license, the Orlando Sentinel reported Monday.

He was 13 the first time he was caught posing as a medical professional at St. Cloud Medical Center in St. Cloud, Fla., lying about his age, the newspaper noted.

"He had been going around stating he was a nurse, walking around with a stethoscope as well. What I remember of him is, he was very helpful and a nice kid," a member of the hospital personnel office wrote in a statement to police at the time.

After his arrest last year, Scheidt was again arrested in Miami Beach on charges of impersonating a police officer, carrying a loaded handgun and police radio, and driving what appeared to be an unmarked police car, the newspaper said.