'Dr. Douglas' Story Remains Unclear

CINCINNATI -- A man accused of posing as a doctor who rode with Cincinnati paramedics and declared a man dead was indicted Friday.

John Holliman, 20, is charged with three counts of practicing medicine without a certificate or surgery without certificate and one count of disrupting public service, WLWT Eyewitness News 5 reported. If convicted, Holliman faces up to 4.5 years in prison.

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Posing as Dr. Antoine Douglas of Lexington, Ky., Holliman allegedly rode with Cincinnati paramedics on three days: June 2, 15 and 29. He may have ridden with the paramedics for as long as 27 days, WLWT reported.

On June 29, Holliman responded with paramedics to the Hamilton County Justice Center, according to investigators, where witnesses said inmate Walter Malachi was either dead or dying.

Investigators said Holliman pronounced Malachi dead, ordering paramedics to, "Mark the time, 10:36. I'm pronouncing him dead."

The Hamilton County coroner did not pronounce Malachi dead until several hours passed, WLWT reported.

In court, Holliman's attorney said his client does not appear to have much of a record. Only an arrest warrant for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle was mentioned.

However, Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen said investigators are not yet sure if Holliman is the suspect's real name.

Whoever he is, he faces charges in several cities. In Columbus, Holliman is accused of posing as a police officer, making false alarms, inducing panic, theft, aggravated menacing and threatening people near gay businesses in Columbus. He is also facing a charge of receiving a stolen motor vehicle in the Dayton, Ohio, area, WLWT reported.

A police report filled out when the suspect was arrested in Cincinnati may not provide much help. In the report, Holliman gave a Columbus telephone number for his next of kin, a person named Kim Holliman.

However, the number is for an Indian family who has lived in Columbus for one year, and family members said they have never heard of the man who claims to be their relative, WLWT reported.

Holliman is being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center on $75,000 cash bond.

Stay tuned to WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and ChannelCincinnati.com for updates.