A Santa Rosa surgeon has had his medical license suspended after he was charged with attempted molestation of a 13-year-old girl he met online.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports 53-year-old Raymond Severt has been charged with four criminal counts alleging attempted sexual misconduct with the Novato teenager. He didn't enter a plea.

The orthopedic surgeon appeared Monday in Marin County Superior Court, where a state representative said Severt would be barred from practicing medicine while the case is pending.

Police say Severt sent sexually explicit text messages to the girl and arranged to meet her for a sexual liaison last month. But her mother saw the texts and notified authorities.

Severt's attorney says the girl had led the married doctor to believe she was of legal age.