Dr. Torres has been indicted on 98 counts of sex crimes.
Frederick, Md (KM) The Frederick County Grand Jury has indicted a former local pediatrician on 98 counts of sex offenses.
State’s Attorney Charlie Smith says the indictments against Dr. Ernesto Torres, 69, were returned on December 20th, and were recently unsealed.
“Those 98 counts relate to allegations from an additional 19 victims that were referenced previously. All of those victims were juveniles at the time of the alleged offenses,” says Smith. “And there is a pre-trial conference scheduled for January 24th.”
Dr. Torres was sentenced on December 23rd to one year in the Frederick County Adult Detention Center for 4th-degree sex offense. He is currently serving that sentence
On Monday, during a bond hearing, Circuit Court Judge Theresa Adams ordered Dr.Torres held without bond.
In April, 2019, an 18-year-old woman, a life long patient of Dr Torres, went to his office on Thomas Johnson Drive for a follow-up appointment to discuss her anxiety medication. It was during that appointment that the victim said Dr. Torres sexually assaulted her..
Dr. Torres went on trial for these offenses in late October. He waived his right to a jury trial, and opted for a bench trial, where the judge determines if a defendant is guilty or not-guilty. After a three-day trial, Dr.Torres was found guilty of 2nd-degree assault and 4th-degree sex offense.
“He does face additional charges that are scheduled for trial to begin March 30th,” says Smith. “In that case, there are 49 sex crimes charged, and another alleged 12 victims with that.”
Smith says the total number of alleged victims is 32.
Prosecutors point out that an indictment is a charging document which alleges criminal conduct, and all defendant are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
By Kevin McManus
Dr. Ernesto Torres