Accused IL Podiatrist Claims Vaginal Exam is "Normal Procedure" (Illinois)
A podiatrist from Olympia Fields sexually assaulted a 75-year-old woman during a medical exam then told her he'd done her "a favor," a judge heard in court this week. Dr. Anthony Overton, 63, claims he was following normal procedures for a foot doctor when he touched the woman's breasts and inserted his finger into her vagina and rectum. But as Overton's bench trial began before Judge Michael Toomin at the Cook County Criminal Court on Tuesday morning, Assistant State's Attorney Beth Pfeiffer said, "Those transgressions were a crime."
The victim, now 77, testified she had made an appointment with Overton about an ankle injury June 2, 2006, because her regular podiatrist had moved. Though Overton had her strip and change into a gown, violated her and ordered an x-ray, he did not examine the injured foot, she said. But defense attorney William Hooks said Overton "was within the standard of care for podiatric medicine." Overton's license to practice as a podiatrist was suspended in July last year after as many as six other women came forward with similar allegations.
Prosecution expert Dr. Adolph Galinski, a podiatrist for 40 years, testified there was "no reason" for Overton to have conducted a full physical exam on the victim. "A podiatrist is trained to deal with the ankle and the foot. If I started dealing with the elbow, the back and all the other parts of the body, I'd expect to be a defendant in this courtroom pretty soon," he said. Overton is free on $250,000 bail.
Source: Kim Janssen and Eric Herman, Southtown Star [3/27/08]
