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Trial set for East Texas doctor accused of sexually assaulting multiple patients

Dr. Kenneth D. Haygood is facing a total of eight charges, including six counts of sexual assault and one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

TYLER, Texas — A trial date has been scheduled for a suspended Tyler doctor accused of sexually assaulting several patients over multiple years. 

Dr. Kenneth D. Haygood is facing a total of eight charges, including six counts of sexual assault, one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and another charge of practicing medicine without a license. 

On Tuesday, he appeared for a status hearing in the 114th District Court. During that hearing, his trial date was set for June 23, 2025. The judge scheduled status hearings for Feb. 18 and April 17. Currently, the final pre-trial hearing would be June 13, according to judicial records. 

Haygood was suspended in October 2023 by the Texas Medical Board for reportedly violating a June 2023 order stating he could not see or treat female patients. The board said he continued to pose a threat to "public welfare."

Records allege he sexually assaulted patients in 2007, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021. He is accused of practicing medicine without his license on July 3, 2023. 

Credit: Smith County Jail Records

According to an arrest affidavit, the first incident happened in 2007 when a patient was under 10 years old. As an adult, the victim reported that they went to see Haygood to have their thyroid checked, but when their mother left the room, the patient said Haygood sexually assaulted them. 

In another incident, a patient reported that Haygood sexually assaulted them during an examination in which Haygood touched the patient inappropriately. The victim told investigators this happened sometime in late 2017 or early 2018, the affidavit read.

A third patient told investigators Haygood touched them inappropriately during an examination in 2018. He also offered massage therapy. Over a three-month period, the patient said Haygood sexually assaulted them and had the victim complete sexual acts that he claimed would help them, the affidavit stated. 

The victim told investigators they kept going because Haygood was a doctor and they felt she had to submit to his authority. The patient also said Haygood monitored their location using their phones and he installed a camera at her home, according to the document. 

The fourth patient told investigators that Haygood touched them inappropriately during a massage and he also sexually assaulted them during an examination in 2018, the arrest document read. 

In October 2023, the TMB said the suspension will remain in place pending further action by the board.

   

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