Santa Rosa Doctor Faces Lewd Conduct Charges

A Santa Rosa doctor faces a felony charge of sending sexually explicit messages to a 13-year-old Novato girl. He was arrested Monday when he made an attempt to meet her, Novato police reported Tuesday.

Dr. Raymond Severt, a 53-year-old hand surgeon who works out of two offices in Santa Rosa awaits to see whether the Marin County District Attorney's office pursues a felony charge of attempted lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, according to the Marin County Jail booking log.

Novato police Det. Sgt. Mike Howard said investigators looked into allegations Monday that a man had sent explicit messages to a 13-year-old Novato girl and had arranged to meet her. Officers arrested him without incident at 6:14 p.m. in the Crossroads neighborhood near the intersection of South Novato Boulevard and Gateway Court, Howard said.

According to an American Medical Association database, Severt is a hand surgeon who graduated from the UCLA School of Medicine in 1986. He completed his residency at the UCLA Medical Center and is certified as a surgeon in California and Texas. He works out of two offices in Santa Rosa that are affiliated with Sutter Health, according to a Sutter Health website. The Santa Rosa Orthopedics website said Severt is a member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Severt also faces misdemeanor charges of attempting to annoy or molest a child under age 18 and attempt to contact a minor with the intent of committing a sexual offense. His bail was set at $10,000.