Dr. Michael Howard Popkin
A doctor has been accused of sexually assaulting two female victims and sexually exploiting one female victim.
According to the report, the allegations of the sexual assault and harassment have been going on since 2001, and detectives believe that there are many other female victims that never reported the incidents.
After the news story was released, officers received more reports from women that had past experiences with the doctor.
The doctor was identified as Dr. Michael Howard Popkin, 67, who has been licensed to practice in California since 1977. He currently works in Encino as a medical doctor and a surgeon.
He was arrested on December 5th inside his office. The doctor explained that the arrest in front of his coworkers was “very embarrassing” and claimed that the allegations were “not true”.
Popkin has a long list of unrelated offenses including, being reprimanded and being placed on probation for three years in 2005 for incompetence. “He was accused of failing to maintain adequate records for his patients and prescribing medications without exams,” said the LA Times.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on December 30th. In the meantime, he has been released and is still practicing, as he awaits his hearing.
Anybody with any additional information about Popkin is encouraged to call the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Valley Sex Crimes Unit at (818) 374-7718.
