LONGVIEW, Texas — A judge on Monday afternoon denied a former Longview doctor's request to change where his trial would be held.
Matt Elza Hipke, 62, is charged with three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child younger than 14, aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with child sexual contact.
During a Monday hearing, 188th District Court Judge J. Scott Novy denied Hipke's request to change the venue of the trial, which was filed on Nov. 18. Novy sided with the state's response saying he could get a fair trial in Gregg County.
His trial is set for Feb. 17, according to judicial records.
Police say he touched child patients inappropriately on multiple occasions between 2018 and 2020. The Texas Medical Board states his license to practice was suspended due to accusations of inappropriately touching three patients younger than 17 during examinations at his office.
Hipke and his practice, Adolescent Care Team, which has since closed, faced five civil lawsuits on behalf of nearly a dozen children, according to reporting from the Longview News-Journal.
The News-Journal reported one of the five lawsuits was settled in March. Five children from four families were named as plaintiffs in that lawsuit. Each of the plaintiffs received a confidential settlement.
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