Frederick Pediatrician Ernesto Torres Sentenced To 1 Year In Jail In Sex Assault Case
FREDERICK, Md. (WJZ) -- A Frederick pediatrician will spend one year in Frederick jail after he was convicted of abusing an 18-year-old patient he'd been treating since she was a baby.
"We felt that the totality of facts warranted a guilty for 2nd-degree rape in this case. We respectfully disagreed with Judge Nicklas' trial verdict, but understand his ruling. We were relieved to see Torres get the maximum one-year straight sentence and agree with Judge Nicklas that one-year punishment, in this case, is simply not enough. This victim will have to live with the emotional scars of Torres' actions for the rest of her life," said State's Attorney Charlie Smith.
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Ernesto Torres, 69, waived his right to a jury trial in late October. Judge Nicklas presided over a three-day bench trial and found Torres guilty of 2nd-degree assault and 4th-degree sex offense.
According to court records, on April 26, an 18-year-old woman who is a lifelong patient of Torres went to his office for a follow-up appointment to discuss medication. It was during this appointment, she said she was sexually assaulted by the doctor.
