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Tyler doctor accused of sexually assaulting patients indicted on 8 charges

Records show the alleged sexual assaults happened in 2007, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021. He is accused of practicing medicine without his license on July 3, 2023.

TYLER, Texas — A suspended Tyler doctor accused of sexually assaulting several patients over multiple years has been indicted, including for accusations of practicing medicine without a license. 

Dr. Kenneth D. Haygood was suspended on Oct. 24 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."

Haygood was arrested on Feb. 13 initially on three counts of sexual assault and one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child; however, he now faces a total of six counts of sexual assault, one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and another charge of practicing medicine without a license. According to jail records, he remains jailed on bonds totaling $5.2 million. 

A grand jury handed down the indictments against Haygood on May 9. Records show the alleged sexual assaults happened 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. The victim told investigators they waited to report the offense until news of Haygood's suspension came out due to their anxiety. 

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 victim also reported another time when Haygood touched them inappropriately during a massage, the affidavit read.

A third patient told investigators Haygood touched them inappropriately during an examination in 2018. He also offered massage therapy. This patient had 13 appointments with Haygood over a three-month period. During this time, 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.

He is set to appear in court on Sept. 13, according to Smith County judicial records. 

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