Physician served time in prison on kidnapping charge

CHRISNEY, INDIANA - The newest physician in this southwestern Indiana town is a convicted felon who received a life sentence for kidnapping a college student in Georgia and burying her alive. <br> <br> Doctor Gary Steven Krist served ten years of his life term before he was paroled. He later received a medical degree in the Caribbean. <br> <br> Krist settled in Chrisney -- a rural town considered medically underserved -- after the state of Indiana granted him a probationary medical license nearly a year ago. Several other states had rejected his application to practice medicine. <br> <br> Chrisney is about 35 miles east of Evansville. <br> <br> On December 17, 1968, Krist and a female accomplice kidnapped Barbara Jane Mackle -- the daughter of a wealthy Florida businessman -- and buried her in a plywood capsule in rural Georgia that Krist constructed. <br> <br> Krist directed rescuers to her location four days later, after her father paid a $500,000 ransom. She survived spending 83 hours underground. <br> <br> Mackle and Krist both wrote books about the kidnapping. Mackle&#39;s book, ``83 Hours Until Dawn,&#39;&#39; was made into a movie. Krist&#39;s book, ``Life,&#39;&#39; was named for the sentence he received. <br> <br> Krist said, ``I think a man should be judged as much by the last half of his life as by the first half.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> He said in general he&#39;s been supported by his patients, but some have refused to return to his practice after learning about his past.