MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 60-year-old pediatrician has been charged with second-degree sexual assault after police say a teen patient reported being touched inappropriately during a physical exam.
David A. Van De Loo, of Eau Claire, Wis., is accused of inappropriately touching a 16-year-old patient at the Mayo Clinic, located at 1400 Bellinger Street in Eau Claire.
One patient told police he had an appointment in August where Dr. Van De Loo allegedly said he needed to check his penis for a condition and then touched him for about half an hour in an attempt to get him erect, according to the charges. The teen said he was in shock that this was happening and that Van De Loo didn’t ask if he could touch him.
The teen said during the assault, he felt weird, helpless and ashamed. He said Dr. Van De Loo had been his doctor for his entire life.
In an interview with Van De Loo, he admitted to touching the patient on several occasions but said it was only for a few seconds and that he was checking for “chordee.” He said he “moved his hand up and down the penis.” Van De Loo said at the end of the appointment, “he smiled, I smiled.”
Van De Loo said he felt what he did was a medical procedure and not sexual in any way. When asked if this was standard, he said, “I would say it should be if it’s not.”
Police met with a doctor on Sept. 10 who had spoke with the patient’s concerned parents from the Mayo Clinic physical exam. He explained how he completes a normal physical. When asked if it was appropriate for a doctor to assist with the manual stimulation for an erection, he said “no, never done or will do that.”
The doctor said “chordee” is usually diagnosed in infants or very young children.
Two other doctors — a doctor of urology and a professor of pediatrics — examined the teen’s medical records and the transcripts of the teen’s interview, as well as Dr. Van De Loo’s interview, and determined based on the teen’s health history, it was their “strong opinion that (he) was the victim of inappropriate sexual contact.”
Van De Loo has been charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault by employee of entity and one count of exposing genitals or pubic area. If convicted, he could face a maximum of $110,000 and/or a maximum of 43 years in prison.
