Doctor Charged With Fondling Patient At Advocate Christ Hospital
UPDATED 02/15/12 9:55 a.m.
OAK LAWN, Ill. (CBS) - A doctor at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn stands accused of fondling a patient and trying to put her hands on his crotch.
As WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports, Dr. Rajat Prakash, 46, of Oak Brook, has been placed on leave by the hospital pending an investigation.
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Prakash must appear in Cook County Circuit Court in Bridgeview on March 6 to face a misdemeanor battery charge. Accompanied by his attorney, he surrendered to Oak Lawn police Saturday, Division Chief Mike Kaufmann said.
The victim, a 32-year-old woman being treated for multiple sclerosis in late November, said he began sending her inappropriate text messages, offering to bring her coffee and asking her to meet him for drinks at a nearby hotel, said her attorney, Bob Olson.
Then, while the woman was in a semi-conscious state at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, he fondled her and attempted to put her hands on his crotch, Olson said.
Kaufmann said the woman made a police report on Dec. 2, but police needed time to track down Prakash, who was out of the country at the time, and whose home in the 200 block of Indian Trails is part of a gated community.
Reached by telephone, Prakash's attorney, Nicholas Faklis, declined comment.
Christ Hospital issued a statement, saying "The physician is on leave of absence pending a full review of the case. Our team continues to cooperate with the Oak Lawn Police Department as they complete their investigation."
Hospital spokesman Mike Maggio declined to say how long Prakash has been at Christ. Licensed to practice in Illinois since 1993, he has no disciplinary history, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
Sue Hofer, a spokeswoman for the department, which oversees licensing of doctors in Illinois, said Prakash will need to be chaperoned, pending the criminal case, should he continue to practice at other facilities where he has privileges.
The Chicago Sun-Times' Lauren Fitzpatrick contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.
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