Cardiologist Given 3-Year Sentence For Touching Sedated Patient

MONTEREY COUNTY, CA — A Salinas cardiologist pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison today for touching a patient's breasts while she was sedated after an operation in 2016, according to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.

Robert Wlodarczyk, 73, did a cardiac catheterization procedure on the victim at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital on Oct. 21, 2016, while she was under the influence of several medications, prosecutors said.

Two medical personnel saw him put his hands on her breasts for about 30 seconds after the procedure was completed and he was speaking to her. The victim was wearing a medical gown and covered with a blanket
and a drape at the time, according to the district attorney's office. She didn't know Wlodarczyk was touching her because she was sedated.

She noticed that the doctor's face was very close to her as he explained the procedure, but did not give him permission to touch her breasts, prosecutors said. She spoke at a sentencing hearing today and described the
"traumatic" effects of sexual assault, prosecutors said. Judge Thomas Wills sentenced Wlodarczyk after he pleaded guilty to one count of committing lewd or dissolute conduct in public.

He will have to permanently relinquish his medical license and is not allowed to make contact with the victim for 10 years, according to the district attorney's office. Wlodarczyk's defense attorney, Thomas Griffin, could not be reached for comment.

By Bay City News

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