A Frederick, Maryland, pediatrician charged with the sexual abuse of a teenage patient earlier this month now faces dozens of additional charges.
Three more victims came forward Monday, accusing Dr. Ernesto Torres, 68, of sexually abusing them while they were his patients. This brings the total number of reported victims to 15, prosecutors said.
On Tuesday, Torres is due in court in connection with 65 charges related to 11 victims.
Among the charges are nine counts of child sex abuse and 10 counts of the sex abuse of a minor, as well as 43 counts of third-degree sex offense, two counts of second-degree sex offense and one count of second-degree assault.
Prosecutors said that the three new cases remain under investigation.
Frederick County State’s Attorney Charlie Smith said that all of the victims were girls between the ages of 11 and 18 when the abuse occurred; and that in some cases, the abuse took place in front of parents or co-workers in Torres’ office.
Smith said that in some cases, the victims brought up an “uncomfortable touch” by Torres, but the parents dismissed it. “They had trust and faith in Dr. Torres. They felt like maybe it was just part of the exam and the young girl was misunderstanding what was occurring,” he said.
Torres was arrested Monday. He’ll be in court Tuesday for a bond review hearing.
Police said they believe there could be more victims. Anyone with additional information should call Detective Sean McKinney at 240-578-5683.
They added that a number of resources are available in the community:
- Frederick Police Department Victim Services Unit at 301-600-1356
- The Child Advocacy Center at 301-600-1758
- Heartly House 301-662-8800
