Fort Myers dentist gives free care to local man wrongfully convicted of murder
Dr. Katelyn Butch, right, and lead dental assistant Bianca Jean, left, help Clay Chabot with some of his dental issues at at Dentists of Fort Myers on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, in Fort Myers. The dental office is helping Chabot and five other patients as a part of their company's Serve Day.During the 22 years Clay Chabot spent in a Texas state prison for a wrongful conviction, dental care was hard to come by, he said.“It’s minimal, unless you’re dying. You really got to have something wrong with you to get attention there," Chabot said. "If they have to do too much they just pull it."On Saturday morning, he received a free dental exam at Dentists of Fort Myers -- the result of a collaboration between dental offices across the country and the nonprofit After Innocence, which provides services to people wrongfully convicted of crimes.“The goal of the project was to create a reliable consistent resource to help these folks, whether they were released in the last week or years ago," said Jo
During the 22 years Clay Chabot spent in a Texas state prison for a wrongful conviction, dental care was hard to come by, he said.
“It’s minimal, unless you’re dying. You really got to have something wrong with you to get attention there," Chabot said. "If they have to do too much they just pull it."
On Saturday morning, he received a free dental exam at Dentists of Fort Myers -- the result of a collaboration between dental offices across the country and the nonprofit After Innocence, which provides services to people wrongfully convicted of crimes.
“The goal of the project was to create a reliable consistent resource to help these folks, whether they were released in the last week or years ago," said Jon Eldan, founder and executive director of After Innocence. "Dental care in prison tends to be very bad or inadequate."
Chabot was convicted of the 1986 rape and murder of a young Texas woman, based largely on the testimony of his brother-in-law Gerald Pabst, according to The Innocence Project, an organization that seeks exonerations for wrongfully accused. He maintained his innocence throughout his time in prison, and in 2007 DNA testing of the victim's rape kit excluded him-- and implicated Pabst.
Pabst was convicted of murder in 2008, and a Texas appeals court threw out Chabot's conviction the next year, granting him a new trial. Prosecutors decided to retry the case rather than drop the charges, and Chabot agreed to plead guilty for a sentence of time served, guaranteeing his freedom.
Eldan said it is common for wrongfully convicted people to take plea deals even when they are innocent, due to lack of faith in the justice system and the risk of conviction in a retrial. Chabot's case was investigated by the Innocence Project, he said.
“My understanding is they take cases after thoroughly vetting them, and only upon a well-founded belief on the factual innocence of the person," Eldan said.
After Chabot's release, he moved to Fort Myers and started a dryer vent cleaning service. He said the company's business was hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic and then devastated by Hurricane Ian, which destroyed clients' homes and prompted many of the property managers he worked for to stop using his services.
Dentists of Fort Myers provided Chabot's care as part of its Serve Day, an annual event in which dentist's offices nationwide provide free care for patients in need. After Innocence has partnered with dentist's offices since 2018, providing $1 million in free dental care to about 275 wrongfully convicted people.
"This is really just about giving back to the community," said dentist Katelyn Butch, who treated Chabot Saturday morning. "Serve Day is really meant for people who otherwise don't have access to care, and Clay is a perfect example of that."
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Fort Myers dentist gives free care to Clay Chabot, local man wrongfully convicted of murder
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