EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — An El Paso doctor was arrested after allegedly groping a patient, according to court documents obtained by KTSM 9 News on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Edward Michelson, 69, was arrested for indecent assault health/mental provider IAT and booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility. On Sept. 30, he posted his $100,000 bond and was released from custody, according to jail records.
Edward Michelson. Photo courtesy of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
At around 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28, deputies with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to University Medical Center in reference to a sexual assault.
Deputies spoke with a patient, who stated she had suffered an epileptic episode and was taken to the hospital.
According to the affidavit, the patient stated that when she was in and out of consciousness, she noticed an unknown white male, who was later identified as Michelson. He allegedly lifted the patient’s bed sheets and her hospital gown, and touched her.
The patient told him in Spanish, “Why are you doing this to me? This has nothing to do with epilepsy,” read court records.
“[The patient] stated she never gave consent for [Michelson] to touch her. [The patient] stated being touched like that made her feel scared and unsafe,” according to the affidavit.
The patient told deputies that she noticed Michelson was not wearing gloves when he allegedly touched her, and began to cry. She told deputies that she did not feel comfortable at the hospital anymore and wanted to leave.
According to court documents, a family member of the patient made an outcry about her getting touched inappropriately by a doctor at the hospital. The family member allegedly confronted Michelson and began yelling about why he touched the victim inappropriately.
The family member told deputies that Michelson allegedly denied that he touched her inappropriately; that he was just touching her abdominal area, and walked away.
Deputies looked at surveillance cameras in the hospital hallway that showed Michelson walking into the patient’s room alone but could not see inside due to the curtains. Michelson was seen being in the room for about two minutes before he walked out, pulling his scrub pants up and walked to another room, according to court records.
In the affidavit, it was noted that UMC policy states that two medical staff personnel should enter a patient’s room when conducting any procedures involving the genital area of a patient.
Later, deputies obtained a search warrant for the video surveillance inside the trauma room.
According to court records, Michelson was seen entering the patient’s room, closes the curtains and allegedly moves an examination light to obstruct the security camera’s view of himself and the patient.
The security cameras captured Michelson placing the blanket on the patient, checking to see if the patient was conscious by opening one eye and allegedly touched her inappropriately. The patient’s head is seen turning in the direction of Michelson, and he “hurriedly” takes his hands out from the blanket and leaves the room.
It was noted in the affidavit that Michelson was seen on the surveillance cameras not wearing medical gloves.
Deputies spoke to UMC Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Victor Waters, who stated he was aware of the incident and said the patient was premedicated by EMS before arriving at the hospital. Waters stated that standard procedure to treat a patient experiencing seizures is to administer medications and give oxygen.
“Dr. Waters stated that there should be no reason for a physician to check the genital area of a patient unless that physician believes there is traumatic injuries to the patient and he is conducting a trauma screen,” according to court records.
Michelson is a healthcare provider who has performed work at UMC. The hospital provided the following statement after KTSM asked about the allegations Michelson is facing:
“The safety and wellbeing of our patients is our highest priority. Any allegations against our healthcare providers are taken seriously.
“This matter involves a contracted medical provider who is not an employee of UMC. Pending internal and third-party investigations, UMC took swift action to suspend this medical provider from the hospital. UMC is fully cooperating with and assisting in the investigation conducted by outside agencies.
“Because this is an ongoing investigation, we have no further comment at this time.”
Edward Michelson. Photo courtesy of Texas Tech.
Michelson also served as a department chair for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. The university provided the following statement:
“TTUHSC El Paso is aware of the charge involving Dr. Edward Michelson. Dr. Michelson has been suspended from his university duties.
“Because this is an ongoing personnel and legal matter, the university will not comment further at this time.”
According to jail records, he was arrested on Sept. 30, nearly a month after the incident happened.
Michelson’s license to practive medicine remains active through May of 2028, according to the Texas Medical Board. Records also currently show no disciplinary restrictions on his license, as of Wednesday, Oct. 7.
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