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Charges Dropped Against Long Island Surgeon Accused Of Trying To Strangle Nurse

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Charges have been dropped against a Long Island surgeon who had been accused of trying to strangle an operating room nurse.

Last month, police said Nassau University Medical Center surgeon Dr. Venkatesh Sasthakonar allegedly tried to choke the nurse with an elastic sweatshirt cord after she administered medication to a patient at the wrong time.

"After thoroughly reviewing this case, interviewing witnesses and analyzing surveillance video, it has been determined there is not enough evidence to support that a crime occurred," Brendan Brosh, a spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas, said in a statement Tuesday.

The doctor's attorney Bruce Barkett said the whole thing was a lie.

"I hope nobody goes through this hell including the person who started all this," the surgeon's wife said after the charges against her husband were dismissed. "What happened in the past month was a nightmare."

"I want to thank everybody that has supported me. I want to thank the DA's office for doing the right thing," the 44-year-old surgeon said. "I'm not angry. I'm just disappointed, I'm disappointed in her."

The nurse has not been charged with making a false report.

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