Authorities detail new sex assault charges against Pa. doctor

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Authorities in Pennsylvania announced new charges against a pediatrician who is already charged with inappropriately touching a 12-year-old patient.

State Attorney General Josh Shapiro held a news conference in Johnstown Monday afternoon.

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Shapiro says the new charges against Johnnie Barto, 70,  involve the sexual assault of "multiple, additional victims" including toddlers.

Barto is now being charged with the sexual assault of 29 additional victims, which happened as early as the 1980's and allegedly continued into the January of this year.

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Barto's medical license was suspended when he was arrested in January on charges including indecent assault.

At the time, police said they'd received more than 30 phone calls with information regarding allegations of past abuse by Barto.

Investigators say Barto waited for parents to leave exam rooms or used his body to hide his abuse.

The attorney general said kids would come in for simple complaints such as ear aches or the flu and Barto used anything as an excuse to sexually assault the children.

Barto's attorney didn't immediately respond to a phone message left at his office early Monday.

Barto has offices in Cambria and Somerset counties.

Victims were both boys and girls, usually between the ages of 8 and 12 years old. One was allegedly as young as 2 weeks old.

"This was a monstrous act by a predator pediatrician," Shapiro said. "He used his position of authority ... and he abused that position to feed his own, sick, sexual desires."

Associated Press