DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – A former central Iowa physician who allegedly admitted using cocaine daily before entering treatment is arguing in court that efforts to suspend his license threaten his livelihood and would be “the kiss of death” for his medical practice in California.

According to the Iowa Board of Medicine, Dr. Chad Becker, who once practiced at UnityPoint Health’s Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, admitted routinely consuming an excessive amount of drugs and/or alcohol prior to 2022, resulting in a referral to the Iowa Physician Health Program for treatment.

According to the board, Becker ultimately chose not to comply with the program’s requirements and so the issue of his substance abuse was referred back to the board in November 2022.

In February 2026, the board ruled a license suspension of 90 days was warranted, as was an $8,000 civil penalty. Becker is now seeking judicial review of that suspension as well as the board’s subsequent refusal to grant him a new hearing on the matter.

In court papers filed Wednesday, Becker said he is currently working as a full-time emergency room physician in California. He stated that after the Iowa board’s disciplinary action was reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank, which tracks physician discipline across all 50 states, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration became involved and a DEA investigator demanded he sign a “voluntary surrender” of his DEA registration to handle controlled substances.

“They claimed that it was because my DEA registration had not been ‘retired’ after my Iowa medical license had expired,” Becker said in a sworn affidavit. He said he has refused to sign the document, and the DEA is now “reconsidering the situation” due to his demand for a hearing on the matter.

“I could lose my career over this,” Becker told the court in his affidavit. “I am sure my career would have been over if I had a lifetime NPDB report that said the federal DEA and the Department of Justice had revoked my DEA registration for ‘admitted’ violations of federal narcotics laws.”

He said his current employer, after learning of the report to the NPDB, “invoked an immediate review of my employment situation,” but has agreed to temporarily delay taking any credentialing or privileging action “to see where this process goes.”

Becker said his “employer group” has applied for privileges at a hospital but has been notified that the hospital “is now in a deep review of my application for privileges due to the NPDB report.” Becker is asking the court “to at least temporarily void” the medical board’s report to the National Practitioner Data Bank pending further orders of the court.

“I do not understand why the Iowa Board of Medicine seems so adamant in interfering with my practice in California when they know there were serious issues with the way the whole matter was handled over all these years in Iowa over the complaints by my long-time ex-girlfriend and my ex-wife,” Becker told the court. “It would be horrible if I am run out of practice due to these preliminary notices and actions.”

Board charges resulted in suspension

The dispute centers on the March 2025 action by the board in which Becker was charged with two counts of misconduct: substance abuse and committing a practice harmful or detrimental to the public. The board alleged Becker’s substance abuse had created a risk of harm to the public and that it did, in fact, create the “actual harm of providing care while impaired.”

Initially, the board alleged Becker’s substance abuse created the “actual harm of providing care while impaired,” although it later reversed itself on that point.

Becker then entered rehabilitation, according to the board, and began working as a physician in California. It was during his treatment there, the board alleges, that Becker acknowledged he had been using cocaine daily, along with other substances.

At a hearing on his disciplinary charges, the Iowa board presented evidence that Becker admitted to hallucinating while at work and to needing fluids prior to work shifts. Becker countered that using fluids to minimize his hangovers “just showed he was not impaired while working,” according to the board’s summary of the hearing evidence.

In a brief filed with the court last week, the Iowa Board of Medicine contends that “Becker’s addiction was uncontrolled in that it was escalating without any treatment and routinely fed by use within 24 hours of a shift. Dr. Becker did not have a couple of momentary slips during the course to post-rehabilitation maintenance care; he was slowly sliding into the proverbial pit of addiction having never even made it to rehabilitation in the first instance.”

A hearing on the matter is expected to be held June 5, 2026, according to court records.

A train struck a semi-truck in eastern Iowa on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring another, authorities said.

The crash occurred at the crossing of a state highway and the Iowa Interstate Railroad in a rural area about 70 miles (113 kilometers) east of Des Moines, according to Poweshiek County Sheriff Matt Maschmann.

One person in the semi-truck died and another was transported with “serious injuries,” Maschmann said in a statement.

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Seventeen train cars and two power engines derailed after the crash and caused “significant damage” to the railroad, he said. Images of the scene showed a massive heap of railcars with billowing smoke.

No hazardous material was spilled, according to Iowa State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Alex Dinkla.

• Waukee Northwest defeated Urbandale in the Iowa high school boys soccer state semifinal.
• Sophomore Eman Alicic scored the game’s only goal on a penalty kick in the final minutes.
• Goaltender Tate Schendel made several key saves to keep the game scoreless until the final goal.

It took two overtimes and six penalty kicks to decide a winner in Waukee Northwest’s Iowa high school boys soccer state quarterfinal matchup against Johnston on Monday.

And it looked like the semifinal would go the same way, that is, until Eman Alicic came up big on a penalty kick in the final minutes of the No. 2 Wolves’ state semifinal game against No. 3 Urbandale on Wednesday, June 3.

“It was too long of a game last time,” joked Northwest goaltender Tate Schendel postgame. “From now on, we’re just going to try to close things out, get it done and keep moving on.”

It took more than 10 minutes for either team to record a shot, and even longer for an attempt to go on goal.

The Wolves hammered a dozen shots in the direction of Urbandale’s goal in the opening 40 minutes, but only a couple came close to going in – including a shot from Alicic that bounced out after hitting the corner of the crossbar.

The J-Hawks had fewer chances at the net, but more attempts hit the target. Of Urbandale’s seven first-half chances, four were on goal – and Schendel stopped all of them.

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With one defense keeping shots on goal away from their keeper and the other team’s goalie stepping up to make risky saves, Northwest and Urbandale headed to the locker room tied, 0-0, at halftime.

“He’s been with us now for three years as a starter, and each year he’s come up big and done great things,” Waukee Northwest head coach Carlos Acebey said about Schendel. “I don’t think he gets a lot of credit for how well he plays between the goalposts, and he’s a solid player for us.”

The Wolves took control in the second half, firing off 12 more shots – including seven on goal – to Urbandale’s three shots, only one of which made its way into Schendel’s hands. But despite Northwest’s ability to keep much of the pressure on the J-Hawks’ end of the field, the game remained scoreless deep into the second half.

With just under four minutes remaining in regulation, Eddie Mihura won the ball around midfield, and then Alicic sent a cross-field pass that was misplayed by one of Urbandale’s players and made its way to Sully Ervin.

He took the ball downfield on a breakaway, but didn’t get a chance at the net, as a J-Hawks player took him down in the box, resulting in a penalty kick.

“He’s just a little buzz saw,” Acebey said about Ervin. “He creates a lot of problems just because he’s annoying, but he’s a great annoying for us. I love it.”

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Alicic – the sophomore star and leading goal scorer on Northwest’s roster – lined up for the penalty kick and nailed it, sending the ball left as Urbandale’s goalie dove to the right.

“He’s really wiser than people give him credit for,” Acebey said. “He’s a sophomore, but he’s very intelligent. His soccer IQ is off the charts. He’s a player that gives us a lot of confidence…and the last three teams that we played have tried to double team, triple team him, and he still is going to get the ball.”

The J-Hawks attempted to get another chance at a goal in the final minutes of the game, but Northwest had an answer for everything Urbandale tried. The final horn bellowed, and the Wolves celebrated their first trip to the championship game since the program’s inaugural season in 2022.

Northwest will face off against No. 1 Ankeny Centennial – still undefeated – at 2:30 p.m. on June 5 at Mediacom Stadium.

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.