(Note from Erin: We are so sorry for all these kids and their families. Our hearts go out to them.)
This spring Dr. Johnnie Barto, 70, a Pennsylvania pediatrician, was charged with abusing a 12-year-old patient. However, at the end of July, he was charged with sexually abusing an additional 29 children over the course of decades. Both boys and girls. Including one infant.
“Most of the assaults occurred in an examination room at a pediatric practice in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, the release says. The alleged abuse occurred between the 1980s and January of this year.
Barto would sometimes wait for parents to leave the room before abusing his victims, the release says. He also allegedly abused children with their parents in the room, shielding the parent’s view with his body.”1
“His arrest at the beginning of the year set off a torrent of complaints from former patients as well as parents of patients, authorities said.
Police said he molested both girls and boys, though most of the alleged victims were girls. The charging documents said Barto used his bare fingers to digitally penetrate girls and fondle the genitals of boys.”2
At times, Barto claimed what he was doing was medical in nature (just like Dr. Larry Nassar). However, some of his female victims were being seen for the flu or a migraine.
The charges against Barto included involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and multiple counts of aggravated indecent assault.
