MCR Health president and CEO arrested, charged with domestic violence, burglary

The president and CEO of MCR Health was arrested on Tuesday in Manatee County on a warrant charging him with domestic battery and burglary in St. Petersburg.

According to Manatee County jail records, Patrick Carnegie, 51, was released on Wednesday after posting a $75,000 bond.

That release initially perplexed St. Petersburg police, according to a police spokeswoman who told the Bradenton Herald on Wednesday that their agency is still looking to arrest Carnegie and book him into the Pinellas County jail.

“This process has been something a little different than we normally do,” said public information officer Yolanda Fernandez. “I checked with the state attorney’s office and he was the one who wrote the warrant and authorized the bond.”

Fernandez said Carnegie will be provided with a court date to address the charges, which include burglary and domestic battery.

According to details in a probable cause affidavit filed by St. Petersburg police, Carnegie went to his ex-girlfriend’s house on April 10, pushed his way inside and pushed the victim around, causing some bruising. Police would not release the full affidavit until Carnegie has been arrested by their agency.

MCR Health, with its corporate office in Palmetto, is a not-for-profit organization that provides discounted medical services to the uninsured and is overseen by a board of directors.

The agency had humble beginnings, opening its first office about four decades ago and has since grown to operate more than 40 healthcare centers, 14 pharmacies and three mobile units. The agency says it has provided more than $45 million in charity medical services.

Carnegie, who previously was director of the nonprofit that operated community centers in the area, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday, but MCR Health released the following statement to the Bradenton Herald via email:

“The Board of Directors of MCR Health, Inc. has been made aware of this serious matter,” the statement reads. “Mr. Carnegie has assured the Board that the allegations are false and that he intends to aggressively defend himself against the charges. We firmly believe that anyone accused of a crime must be considered innocent until proven guilty. We will have no further comment on this matter until after the legal process has been fully completed.”

This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 8:34 AM.