SLIDELL, La. — On Wednesday, Slidell doctor Keith Hickey was booked on charges of sexual battery, attempted sexual battery, and simple assault.
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office says a woman came forward in May, accusing the 63-year-old of touching her while making inappropriate comments during an appointment.
In the investigation, law enforcement said that another patient had come forward with a similar story.
St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Collin Sims couldn’t comment on the case yet, but says his office takes any sexual assault accusation seriously.
“We have an entire team that is completely assigned to this type of offense, from forensics to specialized prosecutors to specialized screeners to victim advocates,” St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Collin Sims said.
The exam room should be a safe space, but what do you do if it’s not?
“They can absolutely call law enforcement in the parish or city, but then there's also the ability to call an organization like Star or the National Sexual Assault Hotline,” STAR Representative Alix Tarnowski said.
Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response Organization Representative Alix Tarnowski says patients can put guardrails in place.
“Some things that can be done is asking for a physician's assistant or nurse or an assistant at that medical provider's office to be in the room as a third party. Feeling comfortable enough to say that, like, you know what, I need to stop this appointment,” Tarnowski said.
Most importantly, Tarnowski says it’s never too late to come forward.
“One of the things I would really love to stress is that it’s never the survivor’s fault,” Tarnowski said.