A 79-year-old physician from Irvine is facing charges of groping two women patients, Orange County prosecutors said Thursday.
Dr. John Carl Hoefs is charged with seven felony counts of sexual battery and is scheduled to be arraigned June 13, prosecutors said.
Hoefs was accused of groping the breasts of one patient with a liver condition during five different appointments starting in 2020, and when she tried to cover herself with a gown given to her during the medical visit, he pulled it down again to expose her chest, prosecutors alleged.
The doctor was accused of groping another patient’s breasts during an exam in November 2016 and during another visit in October 2017, prosecutors alleged.
The doctor was arrested Friday and posted $500,000 bond and was released.
Hoefs had privileges with a Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian medical center, which were suspended immediately when officials learned of his arrest. The doctor “operated an independent practice from leased space in a building owned by Hoag,” Hoag officials said.
Hoefs “was not employed by Hoag or its affiliates,” officials said.
Anyone with information that may be relevant to investigators was asked to call Irvine police Detective Rebecca Steen at 949-724-7170.