Defense witnesses will continue Monday in the trial of Robert Rook, a Conway family practice physician accused of sexually assaulting women in medical examinations.
Employees and others testified to his good character and more defense testimony is planned Monday, according to reporting in the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway.
One witness, while testifying of her certainty that Rook had not engaged in improper practices, did support accounts that Rook had locked examination rooms while seeing some patients.
Each of his accusers said he locked the door after entering the exam room without a female nurse accompanying him.
On Friday, members of Rook’s current staff said this was unlikely.
One woman said she noted two times where he locked the door behind him. However, after pulling him to the side and questioning him about the aforementioned incidents, Rook said he only locked the doors at the patients’ request but would not do so again. The two women involved in these instances, Rook’s employee testified, never reported being sexual assaulted by Rook.
Another woman who has worked at Rook’s office since August 2016 said she found it odd that one of Rook’s accusers said he sexually assaulted her, noting the alleged victim was “shocked” when she first heard Rook was arrested in June 2016 following the initial complaints against him.
No indication yet if Rook will testify.