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Army doctor charged with sexual misconduct makes first court appearance
An Army doctor made his first appearance in a military courtroom in Washington state on Friday where he faces more than 50 counts of sexual misconduct stemming from accusations brought by dozens of patients, in what could become one of the largest prosecutions by the Army of its kind.
The charges against the physician, Maj. Michael Stockin, includes 47 counts of abusive sexual contact and five counts of indecent viewing under the military code of justice, according to the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel who is prosecuting the case. In a statement after the hearing, prosecutors said that they dropped a count of abusive sexual contact “after ongoing review of the evidence.”
All of the 41 alleged victims are male. The documents include allegations that he attempted to cover up sexual abuse of patients by falsely representing that it had a “medical purpose.”
Stockin was expected to enter a plea of not guilty to the charges but elected to defer entering a plea at the hearing, according to prosecutors.
Robert Capovilla, an attorney for Stockin, has urged the public to withhold judgment until the case is heard, saying, “We intend to fight against every single allegation until the jury renders their verdict.”
“Until then, we sincerely hope that the United States Army is fully prepared to respect Major Stockin’s Constitutional rights at every phase of this process, both inside and outside of the courtroom,” Capovilla said in a statement. “We urge everyone to keep an open mind, to remember Major Stockin is presumed innocent, and understand that this fight is just getting started.”
“Through close collaboration with the criminal investigators, [prosecutors] thoroughly evaluated the evidence and carefully considered all the facts before referring charges in this case,” the Office of Special Trial Counsel said in a statement. “We are confident that the facts and evidence support a conviction and that will be demonstrated when the case goes to trial on Oct. 7.”
On Thursday, two of those former patients spoke for the first time publicly in exclusive interviews with CBS News, describing what they say was conduct that betrayed their trust. Both asked to speak anonymously out of fear of retaliation.
Both men, now retired after more than 20 years in the Army including three combat tours each, allege abuse took place under the guise of medical care.
“Being in the military at the time for 19 years, I trusted the medical doctor I was seeing,” said one of the men. “I trusted Dr. Stockin.”
Both say they intend to testify at Stockin’s court martial, which is currently scheduled to begin in October, according to the case docket, and is slated to last more than a month.
“It’s emotional, it’s not something I’m used to,” the other said about his upcoming testimony. “I can deal with a lot of things. I can deal with anger, I can deal with combat, but emotions and things like that — it’s personal.”
The investigation will remain open through the trial, according to the prosecutor’s office, which says the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division “will further investigate should additional victims come forward.”
In the meantime, Stockin has been suspended from seeing patients, but his medical license remains active, according to the Washington State Department of Health database. Michelle McCaskill, communications director for Army OSTC, said that Stockin continues to work at Madigan in a role of an “administrative nature in a non-clinical area.”
Prosecutors did not request that Stockin be held before the court martial but recently said in a statement that they “will continue to evaluate whether to request pretrial confinement based on the potential for MAJ Stockin to be a flight risk or commit further serious misconduct.”
There is no mandatory minimum penalty, according to McCaskill, but if convicted on all counts, Stockin could face a prison sentence of more than 330 years if sentences were to be served consecutively.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
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Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.