An ex-convict accused of practicing medicine without a license in Las Vegas says he believes in an anti-authority sovereign citizen philosophy and learned to perform surgery from online videos.
A police report obtained Thursday links Rick Van Thiel with a 69-year-old woman accused in 2013 of plotting with another anti-government believer to kill Las Vegas police.
She was eventually convicted of misdemeanor conspiracy and received probation.
The 52-year-old Van Thiel is jailed pending an Oct. 20 preliminary hearing on multiple felony charges.
Police say a Sept. 30 search of a trailer he used found records suggesting he treated people for pregnancies, cancer, sexually transmitted diseases and even tooth extractions.
Van Thiel told NBC affiliate KSNV-TV that he's a sovereign citizen who learned medicine on YouTube, books and videos.